Dirk J. Balfoort

Dirk J. Balfoort (1886-1964) was a Pretoria based bookkeeper and amateur director and composer.

Not to be confused with his son, Dirk Jacobus Balfoort

Biography

Born in Holland, he became a civil servant and married Elisabeth Joanna van 't Hul in Utrecht. In 1889 the family moved to Pretoria, Balfoort working for the Transvaal government. They spent 10 years in the country, before returning to Europe in 1899.

Their son, Dirk Jacobus Balfoort (1886-1964)[1], became a well known Dutch musician and museum curator.

Contribution to South African theatre and performance

In this time Balfoort involved himself in the cultural life of the city, inter alia serving as a bookkeeper and later secretary for the newspaper De Volkstem and playing a leading role in the musical life of Pretoria, among other activities as leader of the Hollandse Mannekoor ("Dutch male choir").

He was an active member of the Pretoria-based Rederijkerskamer called Onze Taal, (founded in 1891), and directed a number of musical and other stage productions for them. He was also a composer who, with H. Roorda, had originally composed the song “Onze Taal”, from which the name of the society was derived.