Philip H Neal (born in Richmond, Virginia) is a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet.
Career He studied from age 11 at the Richmond Ballet School. After studying there, Edward Villella arranged a summer scholarship for him at NCYB's School of American Ballet. In 1985 Philip won the silver medal at the Prix de Lausanne ballet competition.
The following year Neal graduated magna cum laude from St. Paul's School and was a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts' Presidential Scholar of the Arts and as a consequence performed at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He subsequently enrolled full-time at SAB and also trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School in Copenhagen, joining NYCB's corps de ballet in 1987.
Four years later Neal was promoted to soloist and at the end of the 1992–1993 winter season to principal dancer. Neal's farewell performance took place Sunday, June 13, 2010, and consisted of ballets by George Balanchine.
Originated roles
Peter Martins
Guide to Strange Places Todo Buenos Aires
Kevin O'Day
Swerve Poems
Featured roles
George Balanchine Allegro Brillante Ballade Chaconne Cortège Hongrois The Nutcracker Divertimento No. 15 Jewels Diamonds 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 Who Cares?
Ulysses Dove Red Angels
Boris Eifman Musagète
Peter Martins Black And White Ecstatic Orange Fearful Symmetries Les Gentilhommes The Sleeping Beauty Prince Désiré Songs of the Auvergne Swan Lake Prince Siegfried 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 Interplay
Richard Tanner Ancient Airs and Dances
Television
PBS Live from Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Ten Years of New Choreography, 2002, Ancient Airs and Dances PBS Live from Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100, 2004, Liebeslieder Walzer
Footnotes
New York Times
Sources New NGB Artistic Director and Dance Department Chair Philip Neal Brings Legacy of Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine A.A. Cristi Philip Neal Joins as Artistic Assistant Director (2025) BroadwayWorld Artistic Assistant Director Philip Neal Biography (Biography) Boston Ballet Philip Neal Interviews