Born into ballet: Phillip Otto’s journey to Huntsville [VIDEO]

This is the busiest time of year for the Huntsville Ballet. The company’s production of “The Nutcracker” is coming up, and as the organization’s top fundraiser, the performance is important on many levels.

But for Huntsville Ballet’s creative director Phillip Otto, it’s business as usual. Let’s face it, this is certainly not his first production of the beloved ballet. And it won’t be his last.

Otto, who came to Huntsville with his wife Rachel to run the Huntsville Ballet Company and Huntsville Ballet School, is focused on growing the organization as the arts community in Huntsville grows as well.

Phillip Otto lands in the Rocket City

Otto is a New York native who grew up in a family of seven children, all of whom were involved in ballet. As a child, Otto 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.

Otto’s skills took him to the Milwaukee Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

When he opted to retire from professional dance, Otto and his wife opened a general store in upstate New York, but the lure of the ballet called again—this time from the Rocket City.

“We saw there was an opening in Huntsville, Alabama. And we were like ‘Alabama?’ But we came down and visited and loved it. Loved the people, and we loved Huntsville.”

_{Phillip Otto, creative director, Huntsville Ballet}

We were able to sit down with Otto and find out more about his journey from New York to Huntsville:

Otto said his vision is to keep growing the ballet and raising money so that they can tour more (which is great exposure). Already, since Otto arrived in 2008, the ballet has grown from just two professional dancers to 14.

The Huntsville Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” can we seen this weekend at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall. Purchase tickets here.

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