Written by Alicia DeGraaff
Photos by Steve Babin

Phillip Otto has served as the Artistic Director for the Huntsville Ballet since 2008. From ballet student to instructor and director, Otto’s far-reaching presence in the world of classical dance affords The Huntsville Ballet Company a world-class leader.

EVENT: Where did you grow up?

PO: I grew up in New York State as one of seven children who were all dancers. My mother was a ballet teacher.

EVENT: What/who was your inspiration for ballet?

PO: I grew up in the ballet studio while my mother was teaching [but] my greatest inspiration was music. When I got a little older my inspirations were George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet.

EVENT: How were you involved in dance and performing when you were younger?

PO: As a young dancer, I studied at The School of American Ballet (Official School of the New York City Ballet.) I was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s children’s chorus and danced with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, London’s Royal Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet.

EVENT: Your dance background is extensive. What are some of your favorite career productions or performances?

PO: (George Balanchine’s) “Who Cares,” The Four Temperaments, Western Symphony, Concerto Borocco, La Valse, Symphony in C, Nutcracker, Prodigal Son, Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, (Cranko’s) Romeo and Juliet, (Limons) Moor’s Pavane, (Forsythe’s) Love Songs, (Lynn Taylor-Corbett’s) Brahms Sonatas, Code of Silence, The Quilt, Great Galloping Gottschalk, and Final Draft, among others.

EVENT: How did you become the Artistic Director for The Huntsville Ballet?

PO: That happens to be a long story, but basically, I had quit the world of ballet and bought a general store in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. One day my life changed when I found out I had cancer. During my battle with the nasty disease, I realized that I should be doing what I love, which is teaching ballet and passing on the information I was given by some of the greatest artists in the world.

EVENT: What made you decide that Huntsville was the best place to do your work?

PO: The city of Huntsville picked me. After I visited the city, I fell in love with it.

EVENT: What is your vision for the ballet? What plans do you have for its future?

PO: My vision is to develop and create a professional Ballet Company for the city of Huntsville. My mission is to use the power of dance to inspire and nurture the art of classical ballet through artistic excellence, performance experiences, and education and outreach activities in the community. The company holds a long and rich history in the art of dance and is working to expand and challenge its repertoire. The Huntsville Ballet Company brings the finest quality of dance to the region, performing ballets such as The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, The Firebird, and The Sleeping Beauty among others. Each year, The Nutcracker affords students from the Huntsville Ballet School the opportunity to audition and perform with the Company at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.

EVENT: What are some of the common challenges you face in this line of work and how do you overcome them?

PO: FUNDING! It is no secret that the economy in recent years has had a tremendous, negative effect on arts funding and support. Some arts organizations in Huntsville have been forced to reduce their presence, which hurts not only the organization and surrounding businesses, but also the community as a whole.

EVENT: What do you like to do outside of this work: family, hobbies?

PO: I enjoy spending time with my wife Rachel, my son Nathaniel and my daughter Julia Bea. I also enjoy spending time in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, hunting, fishing and splitting wood.