Eric Otto is part of a ballet dynasty. His mother ran a company and school in Westchester, NY, and four of her sons danced professionally in prestigious companies, including New York City Ballet (NYCB), American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Otto began dancing at the age of seven at the School of American Ballet (SAB) and initially did not comprehend how extraordinary his upbringing in ballet truly was. “For me, as a young boy growing up, I didn’t realize until later how great my family was,” he muses. Watching his brothers dance with NYCB felt normal to him. Seeing Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev in class was simply part of the environment.
As a child, he performed with NYCB in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Dancing coveted roles like Fritz and The Prince allowed him to absorb the culture from the inside. “It didn’t hit me until I was about 13. I was like, ‘Wow, you are really in the epicenter of dance,’” he reflects. Looking back, he admits, “I was a brat, and it was great at the same time.”
Otto went on to perform with renowned dance institutions, including NYCB, ABT, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and BalletX. He was an original cast member of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away and starred as James in both the Broadway and first National Tour of Tharp’s Movin’ Out. His Broadway credits also include The Phantom of the Opera, and he has toured nationally with Tharp’s company.
In 2014, he left the Met Opera and spent a brief period working as a restaurant chef, ultimately realizing that he missed dancing. In 2015, he began dancing with Tharp’s company, absorbing her unique approach. He taught the company and college residency classes, gaining confidence. “I felt like I had people behind me,” he says, crediting Tharp with helping him. “I always knew that I loved being around dance and ballet – it was my whole life.”
When Peoria Ballet needed leadership, Otto took a leap. “I had never done this before, but I had all this great experience.” He arrived and mounted a full Nutcracker in mere months. Although the community was supportive and passionate about the arts, he and his wife, Laura Feig, ultimately felt it was not the right long-term fit.
Feig, an accomplished dancer in her own right, received a contract with Carousel on Broadway, prompting a move back east. Otto secured an artist-in-residence position at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. There, he learned the dynamics of a collegiate environment. When COVID altered everything and his residency ended, he knew he did not want to return to hustling between local studios.
The Toledo Ballet position opened, and Otto was intrigued. Toledo, Ohio, usually isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of a heavyweight arts metropolis. Like many “Rust Belt” cities, the 1970s brought both industrialization and the loss of manufacturing. For Toledo, unemployment and economic hardship led to downtown decay.
The city has since made tremendous efforts to improve. During the mid-2000s, revitalization initiatives were launched with arts and culture as the focus of economic renewal. A surprisingly robust arts scene emerged.
Live Arts Toledo is a central hub for live music, dance and cultural education. The Toledo Symphony, Toledo Ballet and Toledo Jazz Orchestra all fall under that umbrella and share resources. To Otto, that signaled artistic potential and resources. “Every production has the full symphony,” he says.
The organization was emerging from a period of instability when he arrived in 2022. His predecessor had been let go abruptly earlier that year, leaving the school culture unsettled. “It was tumultuous. When I first arrived, I wanted to stabilize the culture in the school,” he explains. “The kids needed a change.”
Some of his immediate goals were to produce a strong Nutcracker and increase enrollment. Community outreach became central to that effort. This included partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club, inviting schools to attend performances, engaging the press, and opening doors to the broader community.
Under Otto’s leadership, Toledo Ballet follows the ABT curriculum from pre-primary through Level 3, before transitioning into training influenced by both SAB and ABT traditions. “I want them to be able to dance and move with joy,” he says, emphasizing musicality, freedom and classical épaulement.
Excellence, for Otto, balances high aspirations with humanity. “Yes, I am from New York. I have high expectations in terms of technique, artistry, and preparation,” he says. At the same time, he and Feig prioritize joy, accessibility and inclusion. “We work hard, but we are not super strict or mean. We are encouraging and supportive.”
Otto has seen significant growth since implementing his curriculum and artistic standards. “I have seen my dancers dance genuinely from the heart with joy,” he says, noting technical improvements supported by his faculty. Exposure to live orchestras and renowned conductors has further elevated the students’ experience.
Every child has a role in productions, including differently abled dancers. Otto points with pride to casting in The Nutcracker, which included a dancer in a wheelchair. “Everyone feels special because they are a part of the productions,” he says. The school also offers adaptive dance classes to children and adults.
For Otto, the ultimate mission is both artistic and human. “I want to teach them how to be good human beings,” he says of his students. “Approach each day as a gift. Have a laugh, but work your hardest. It is okay to work hard, but don’t be so hard on yourself.”
A major milestone has been Live Arts Toledo’s move into a new 60,000-square-foot facility within a former Masonic Temple. The ballet and symphony share a building featuring four expansive studios, music rooms and performance spaces. “My office is in the mix of all my colleagues – there is a pollination of ideas,” Otto says enthusiastically. “It is a beautiful space.”
Otto says he is impressed by the community’s enthusiasm. “They have passion and commitment and love for ballet and the arts,” he says. “They were waiting for change and something great to happen.” Volunteers, families and supporters, he notes, are deeply invested and eager to help in any way they can.
Now three-and-a-half years into his tenure, and having signed a five-year extension, future plans include growing the summer intensive and expanding the repertory. He wants to add works by Balanchine and deepen collaborations with the symphony. Otto is also exploring new stylistic avenues, including potential work with the Fosse Foundation. With the school stabilized and a small professional company established (currently three dancers, with plans to grow) Otto is focused on expansion. His long-term goal is a company of eight to 12 dancers within five years.
As Toledo Ballet settles into its new home and next chapter, he sees vast potential ahead – for the dancers, the institution and the city it serves. Potential to increase enrollment, widen repertory, add more professionals and mount larger seasons. For Otto, the sky is the limit.
Find out more about Toledo Ballet at www.artstoledo.com/toledoballet.
By Mary Carpenter of Dance Informa.
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