David Poole (1925-1991). South African-born dancer, teacher and director

David Poole was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1925. Because he was of mixed race, he was personally discriminated against under the South African Race Law of 1948. Poole nevertheless succeeded in becoming a significant figure in ballet in his native South Africa during the apartheid era and also in Britain and the wider world.

Poole did not begin his ballet training until he was 18, when he studied at the University of Cape Town Ballet School (UCTBS) under Dulcie Howes and started appearing in the Cape Town Ballet Club. He came to London in 1947 to continue his training at Sadler’s Wells Ballet School. He danced with the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet from 1947 until 1955, becoming a principal in 1948, and performed in many classic roles. Poole also created a number of roles, particularly for his fellow South African John Cranko, with whose work he was particularly associated. From 1955 to 1956 Poole worked with both Sadler’s Wells Ballet and Ballet Rambert, and in 1957 taught at Kurt Jooss’ school in Essen, after which he resumed his dancing career in Britain, including dancing to some acclaim at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1958.

Having appeared as a guest artist and a teacher in Cape Town during the 1950s, in 1959 Poole joined the staff of the UCTBS and the University of Cape Town Ballet (UCT). When in 1963 UCT became the Cape Town Performing Arts Board Ballet (CAPAB Ballet), Poole became ballet master. From 1969 he was the artistic director and in 1973 he succeeded Howes as director of the UCTBS. During Poole’s tenure of office CAPAB Ballet produced many of the major classics as well as a number of ballets based on South African themes. Notable among these was Frank Staff’s The Rain Queen, created in 1973. David Poole retired as professor of Ballet at UCT School in 1986, and as director of CAPAB in 1990. He died in Cape Town in 1991.