Philip Neal (Guest Dancer)

Philip Neal was born in Richmond, Virginia, and began his dance training at age 11 at the Richmond Ballet School where he studied for six years. At an early age he was spotted by Edward Villella and offered a summer scholarship to the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet. In 1985 Mr. Neal won a silver medal in the International Prix de Lausanne ballet competition. Mr. Neal graduated magna cum laude from St. Paul's School in 1986 and was named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and as part of that honor performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. prior to enrolling full time at SAB. In addition to his training in New York and Richmond, Philip Neal has also trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mr. Neal joined New York City Ballet's corps de ballet in 1987. In the spring of 1991 he was promoted to the rank of Soloist, and at the end of the Winter 1992-93 Season he was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer.

He has appeared in many featured roles, including George Balanchine's ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, BALLADE, CHACONNE, CORTÈGE HONGROIS, GEORGE BALANCHINE'S THE NUTCRACKER™, "Diamonds" from JEWELS, DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, MOZARTIANA, ROBERT SCHUMANN'S "DAVIDSBÜNDLERTÄNZE," SERENADE, SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE, SWAN LAKE, TSCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX, TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2, WESTERN SYMPHONY, and WHO CARES?; Boris Eifman's MUSAGÈTE, Peter Martins' BLACK AND WHITE, ECSTATIC ORANGE, FEARFUL SYMMETRIES, LES GENTILHOMMES, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (Prince Désiré), SWAN LAKE (Prince Siegfried), and THE WALTZ PROJECT; Jerome Robbins' BRANDENBURG, DANCES AT A GATHERING, THE FOUR SEASONS (Spring), GLASS PIECES, THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS, I'M OLD FASHIONED, IN G MAJOR, and INTERPLAY; Richard Tanner's ANCIENT AIRS AND DANCES; and Ulysses Dove's RED ANGELS. Mr. Neal originated featured roles in Peter Martins' GUIDE TO STRANGE PLACES and TODO BUENOS AIRES and Kevin O'Day's SWERVE POEMS.

In 2002, Mr Neal appeared in the nationally televised Live From Lincoln Center broadcast "New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Ten Years of New Choreography" on PBS, dancing in ANCIENT AIRS AND DANCES, and in May of 2004 he appeared in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of "Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100," dancing in LIEBESLIEDER WALZER.

Mr. Neal has appeared with New York City Ballet at it's home in Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, in the Company's summer home at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and on tour in Athens, The Hague, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Italy, Paris, Osaka, and Tokyo.

Reprinted in whole from the New York City Ballet - http://www.nycballet.com/about/bio_neal.html