Phil Black

Phil Black (died June 5, 2015) was an American jazz and tap dance teacher, choreographer, and performer. He worked as a choreographer and performer during the New York nightclub era.

Early life and training Black was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began dancing by age seven, learning from his Aunt Rose. He entered the U.S. Navy at 18 and later taught ballroom dancing at an Arthur Murray studio in California. After returning to New York, he studied with Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Ernest Carlos. During this period, he worked with Judy Garland and Flip Wilson.

Teaching Black founded Phil Black Dance Studio at Broadway and 50th Street in New York City in 1968. He later moved a few blocks north to Broadway Dance Center in the early 1980s.

Death Black died on June 5, 2015, at the Actors Fund Nursing Home in Englewood, New Jersey.