Philip Neal

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 1992-1993 winter season he was promoted to the rank of principal dancer.

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