Age, Biography and Wiki

Syvilla Fort was born on 3 July, 1917, is an American dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. Discover Syvilla Fort's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 58 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Dancer, dance educator
Age 58 years old
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Born 3 July 1917
Birthday 3 July
Birthplace N/A
Date of death 8 November, 1975
Died Place N/A
Nationality

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 3 July. She is a member of famous dancer with the age 58 years old group.

Syvilla Fort Height, Weight & Measurements

At 58 years old, Syvilla Fort height not available right now. We will update Syvilla Fort's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
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Dating & Relationship status

She is currently single. She is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, She has no children.

Family
Parents Not Available
Husband Not Available
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Syvilla Fort Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Syvilla Fort worth at the age of 58 years old? Syvilla Fort’s income source is mostly from being a successful dancer. She is from . We have estimated Syvilla Fort's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income dancer

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Timeline

1917

Syvilla Fort (July 3, 1917 – November 8, 1975) was an American dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher.

Born in Seattle, she drew on her African-American heritage in her original dance works.

1932

Fort attended the Cornish School of Allied Arts in Seattle as their first black student after graduating from high school in 1932.

1939

After spending five years at the Cornish School, Fort decided to pursue her dance career in Los Angeles, and in 1939 her neighbor, black composer William Grant Still, introduced Fort to dancer Katherine Dunham.

Several weeks later, Fort began dancing and touring with the Katherine Dunham Company and learning the Dunham technique, which was rooted in the dance traditions of Africa, Haiti, and Trinidad.

1940

American composer John Cage wrote his first piece for prepared piano, Bacchanale (1940), for a dance by Fort.

She died from breast cancer at the age of 58.

Born in Seattle, Washington, Syvilla Fort began studying dance when she was three years old.

After she was denied admission to several ballet schools because 'whites' practiced a system of color-based discrimination, Fort's early dance education took place in her home and in private lessons.

By the time she was nine years old, Fort was teaching ballet, tap, and modern dance to small groups of neighborhood children who could not afford private lessons.

While dancing with the Dunham Company, Fort neglected a serious knee injury which prevented her from performing professionally by the mid-1940s.

1945

Fort danced with the company until 1945 and was included in the well-known film Stormy Weather (1943).

1948

In 1948, Dunham appointed Fort as chief administrator and dance teacher of the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, a position Fort retained until 1954 when the school closed because of financial problems.

1955

In 1955, Fort joined her husband Buddy Phillips to open a dance studio on West 44th Street in New York.

In this studio Fort developed what she called the "Afro-Modern technique" which fused the Dunham approach with modern styles of dance that Fort learned in her early education.

1967

She continued to use this method in her work as a part-time instructor of physical education at Columbia University's Teachers College from 1967 to 1975.

1975

The studio on 44th Street thrived until 1975 when Fort began struggling against breast cancer and was unable to solve the school's financial problems.

Her staff and students found a new studio for Fort on West 23rd Street where she taught through the summer of 1975.

Fort shaped three generations of dancers and among her best-known students were Marlon Brando, James Dean, Jane Fonda, James Earl Jones, Eartha Kitt, José Limón, Chita Rivera, and Geoffrey Holder.

Five days before her death from breast cancer on November 8, 1975, Fort attended a tribute to her life's work which was organized by the Black Theater Alliance and hosted by her student Alvin Ailey and by Harry Belafonte.

1979

A short film was make of her by Ayoka Chenzira, Syvilla: They Dance to Her Drum (Short) (1979).

1992

In 1992, Fort's work was honored again when dancers from several companies performed an evening of her choreography at New York's Symphony Space.

Buddy Phillips' son Sabur Abdul-Salaam, Syvilla's stepson, published a book, Spiritual Journey of An American Muslim, that includes additional information about her.