Charles Neal

New York Negro Ballet
Donald McKayle Company
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Guest
Béjart Ballet
Ballet South: Guest

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Charles Neal was one of the six original members of New York Negro Ballet and studied under Maria Nevelska. Alongside dancers like Georgia Collins, Charles Moore, Delores Brown, Talley Beatty, and John Jones, Neal performed in a 1958 Alvin Ailey & Ernest Parham recital at the 92nd Street Y.

He was also a member of Donald McKayle’s company and performed in McKayle’s Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder at Jacob’s Pillow in 1961. The Boston Globe reported that Neal also danced with Maurice Béjart’s company.

During his career as a choreographer, he participated in the Boston Ballet’s second annual Choreographers’ Series in 1976. He performed as a guest artist with Ballet South of Memphis in 1973.

Sources:

Dancing Many Drums: Excavations In African American Dance, Thomas F. Defrantz
Donald McKayle, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive
Converging Movements: Modern Dance and Jewish Culture at the 92nd Street Y, by Naomi M. Jackson
Boston Ballet to showcase new dances in Choreographers’ Series, The Boston Globe
Ballet South, Memphis, Is An Ambitious Program, Clarion-Ledger

See also:

1957: Ward Fleming founds Ballet Americana/New York Negro Ballet