
“…I’m very pleased that I was able to give [underprivileged] children a better life through the wonderful medium of [dance] theatre.
Philip Boyd is one of those fortunates who knew from a young age what he wanted to do with his life. He accompanied a boyhood sweetheart to her ballet classes and became immediately mesmerised by the art form. His parents, both academics, supported his choice of career and helped him on his way.
South African ballet was flourishing at that time. Names like Dulcie Howes and David Poole were spoken of with awe. Phyllis Spira had already made a name for herself overseas. Dulcie Howes on a visit to Johannesburg recognised his potential and invited him to join her school in Cape Town. This was the world Philip was to find himself in. A world of rigorous discipline and ruthless training. It was what he wanted, needed and he excelled, becoming one of the principal dancers at CAPAB.
Nicollet Loxton was the first ballerina with whom he partnered. Many followed. It was however with Phyllis Spira, South Africa’s only prima ballerina assoluta that he found his perfect partner. They moulded together in flawless synchronicity, physically and spiritually. It was he whom she married, a sublime partnership for the rest of her life.
David Poole was a child of District Six. Stung by all the upheavals the Apartheid government did to his people, he created a ballet school to help disadvantaged children. He called it Ballet for All. In time Philip took over the running of the school and he and Phyllis renamed it Dance for All.
Apart from an extraordinary dance career, Philip’s Dance for All is a story of success, devotion, and love. A story worth listening to.