Phyllis Spira facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phyllis Spira
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| Born | 18 October 1943 Johannesburg, South Africa
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| Died | 11 March 2008 (aged 64) Cape Town, South Africa
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| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Spouse(s) | Philip Boyd |
| Parent(s) | Lazar Spira and Fanny Pauline Rosen |
Phyllis Spira (born October 18, 1943 – died March 11, 2008) was a famous South African ballet dancer. She started her amazing career with the Royal Ballet in England. Later, she came back to South Africa. For 28 years, she was the main dancer, called a prima ballerina, for the CAPAB Ballet company in Cape Town. In 1984, she received a very special title: the first (and only) South African Prima Ballerina Assoluta. This means she was considered the very best ballet dancer.
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Becoming a Ballet Star
Phyllis Bernice Spira was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her parents, Lazar and Fanny Pauline Spira, lived in a nice area called Orange Grove. When Phyllis was just 4 years old, she started ballet classes. Even at that young age, everyone could see she had a special talent for dancing.
Phyllis went to Orange Grove Primary School and Waverly High School for Girls. Ballet was an extra activity she did outside of school. When she was 15, her headmistress saw how talented she was. She got special permission for Phyllis to leave school early to focus on her dance training.
Soon after, Phyllis got an amazing chance to study at the Royal Ballet School in London. Her parents were worried about their teenage daughter living alone in a big city. But they let her go, knowing it was a huge opportunity.
Training in London
Phyllis arrived in London in May 1959, when she was 16. She began training at the Royal Ballet School. People quickly noticed her special way of moving. Ninette de Valois, who was the director of the school, even compared her to the famous British ballerina Alicia Markova. She called Phyllis "a baby Markova."
Phyllis received a scholarship, which helped her pay for her studies. She learned very quickly. After only a few months, she performed in Swan Lake at Covent Garden. She danced in different parts of the show. Soon, she was invited to join the Royal Ballet touring company. She was only 17 years old at the time.
Her Professional Dance Journey
This was the start of a wonderful career for Phyllis. She was admired in England and became known as "the undisputed queen of ballet in South Africa."
Dancing in England
Phyllis stayed with the Royal Ballet touring group for three years, from 1960 to 1963. In 1961, she became a soloist, which is a very important dancer. She performed in many places, including different parts of England, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, and the Far East. She also appeared on TV in England and Japan.
Phyllis danced many important roles. She performed in Les Rendezvous by Frederick Ashton and Danses Concertantes by Kenneth MacMillan. She also had the main role in Pineapple Poll by John Cranko. In 1962, a special role was created just for her in a ballet called Toccata. Phyllis had a bright future in England, but she missed her home. So, she decided to return to South Africa in 1964.
Dancing in South Africa
In 1963, the South African government created four professional ballet companies. Two of the strongest were PACT Ballet in Johannesburg and CAPAB Ballet in Cape Town. When Phyllis returned home, she joined PACT Ballet. She danced leading roles in famous ballets like Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Nutcracker.
Later, Phyllis and her dance partner, Gary Burne, moved to the CAPAB Ballet company in Cape Town in 1965. They left for a short time in 1967-1968 to dance with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. After touring North America, they came back to South Africa at the end of 1968 and rejoined CAPAB Ballet. They were a very popular dance pair until Gary Burne left in 1971.
After that, Phyllis formed another famous partnership with Eduard Greyling. They danced together for about 17 years, until Phyllis retired from the stage.
Phyllis could dance many different styles. She was great at lyrical ballets like Les Sylphides and dramatic ones like Romeo and Juliet. She was also amazing at technically difficult ballets like Don Quixote. She understood music and acting very well, which helped her perform many different roles beautifully.
Many people compared Phyllis to Alicia Markova. One writer said that Phyllis "looked uncannily like Markova as well as having a flavor of Fonteyn, but with an approach of her own." Another writer described her as "reed-thin and tiny, with huge eyes dominating a gamine face." They said she shared Markova's "classical purity of line and delicacy of style wedded to a steely technique."
Phyllis continued to lead the Cape Town company until 1988. Her dance career ended when she got an injury on the opening night of a new show of Giselle.
Awards and Special Recognition
Phyllis Spira received many awards during her long career.
- She won the Nederburg Award for Ballet twice.
- She also received the Lilian Solomon Award.
- In 1979, she was given the Bellarte Woman of the Year Award for the Cape Province.
- In 1984, the president of South Africa gave her the rare title of prima ballerina assoluta.
- After this, she received South Africa's highest award for excellence, the Order for Meritorious Service, Gold.
- In 2000, she received the Molteno Medal for her lifetime work in the performing arts.
- In 2003, she became a member of the Order of the Disa. This was for her amazing contribution to ballet and for helping ballet grow in communities that didn't have many opportunities.
Later Life and Community Work
After leaving the stage in 1988, Phyllis Spira became the main ballet mistress for CAPAB Ballet until 1999. During this time, the company changed its name to Cape Town City Ballet.
Phyllis married Philip Boyd, who was also a dancer, in 1986. They didn't have children. Instead, they used their energy to help their community. Phyllis became the head of the David Poole Trust Youth Training Program. She and Philip ran the "Dance for All" program. This program brought dance lessons to children in less fortunate communities. It helped over 700 children every year in places like Gugulethu, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, and rural areas like Barrydale and Montagu.
In August 2007, Phyllis had a foot injury in London. She had several operations on her legs. Sadly, there were complications, and she had another surgery which she did not survive. Phyllis Spira passed away in a Cape Town hospital at the age of 64.
