I was born in New York City in 1923. At the age of 14, I had my first ballet lesson and from that day on, I knew dance was for me. In 1941, I performed as a Spanish dancer in a USO tour for the Air Corps. From 1942 to 1948 I performed in five long-run Broadway shows and also danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1948, I met performer and dancer, Donald Weissmuller. We were a successful dance duo and toured the world. In 1953, I married comic actor, Alan Sues and we performed together in comedy sketches in New York and Los Angeles. I continued to dance on TV until 1968. After moving to LA, with my husband, I started designing my own line of women’s high fashion sportswear. The company ran for 22 years.
In 2003, I became passionate about the piano, learned to dance the Tango at 83, and composed and produced my own music. Along with an extraordinary group of musicians I produced six beautiful Tangos and debuted my CD “Tango Insomnia†and a Jazz CD entitled, "Scenes of Passion†which I also performed on piano and sang vocals with Scarlet Rouge.
Now, I’m 88, I dance every day with my choreographer and partner Felix Chavez (78). We perform in shows and compete, inspiring audiences and dancers nationwide. I practice yoga, as it helps my body with the balance and elasticity, that I need to continue dancing.
WHY AM I DOING IT? I do Yoga to stay alive.
You can listen to my music and songs on my site phyllissues.com
