2. Syvilla’s early life
• Syvilla Fort was born on July 3, 1917 in
Seattle.
• She began dancing when she was 3 years
old
• She was forced to take home lessons by
the age of 9 she began to teach the other
kids in her neighborhood tap and ballet.
• She married Buddy Philips
3. Syvilla was a
professional dancer in
the 1930s and early
1940s.
In 1948 Fort was
appointed chief
administrator and
dance teacher at the
Katherine Dunham
School of Dance in
New York, which was
closed in 1954.
Syvilla’s Career
Syvilla graduated from
high school in 1932 ,
went to the Cornish
School of Allied Arts and
became the first African
American student. In
1937 she moved to Los
Angeles to begin her
professional career. There
she met dancer Katherine
Dunham, later Syvilla
joined Dunham’s dance
company in Chicago.
