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Dancer Profile: Justin Peck

November 27, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

https://instagram.com/p/zkXwa3qRUr/?taken-by=justin_peck

(Peck, front right, in his own work Rōdē,ō: Four Dance Episodes)

“There’s this Diaghilev quote that I always go back to. It’s very simple. He said, “I have big plans.” Maybe I’m being overly optimistic. But that’s how I feel. ” – Justin Peck

At age 13, Justin Peck was cast as in extra in American Ballet Theatre’s touring production of Giselle. Witnessing the athleticism of ABT’s male dancers Herman Cornejo, Marcelo Gomes, and Ethan Stiefel inspired him to begin ballet training. Previously, he had only taken classes in tap and musical theater. He found ballet challenging, particularly extension and turnout. Nonetheless, within just two years, he proved proficient enough to be accepted into the School of American Ballet. He became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 2006, a corps member in 2007, and a soloist in 2013.

Peck’s career took a unique turn when he decided to take a dance criticism course at Columbia University. There, his professor Mindy Anloff told him he had a good mind for choreography and encouraged him to give it try. Peck’s first work was a pas de deux for the student-run company Columbia Ballet Collaborative. From there he went on to New York City Ballet’s affiliated program The New York Choreographic Institute. His creations caught the eye of NYCB’s artistic director Peter Martins who invited him to choreograph for the company.

In 2014, after choreographing for New York City Ballet for only two years, Peck was named New York City Ballet’s Resident Choreographer. He was just 26 at the time. New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay has written that Peck is “the third important choreographer to have emerged in classical ballet this century, following Christopher Wheeldon and [Alexei] Ratmansky.”

In Peck’s choreographic process, music and collaboration have priority. He told the Washington Post,”My philosophy on choreography is that the making of a ballet is a team effort, and we’re in this together. It’s not me hammering on them. It’s more about how we can elevate this piece collectively to something great.”

Fun Facts:

  • Peck’s role in ABT’s Giselle at age 13 was a dog handler in Act I
  •  His guilty food pleasure is Australian licorice
  • He admits the main reason he wanted to attend SAB was to live in New York City; he didn’t actually know much about Balanchine when he applied.

Follow Peck On:

His website: http://www.justin-peck.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justin_peck

Instagram: https://instagram.com/justin_peck/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinisjustinpeck

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcALX4g97mMXFZtBRSHBv0Q

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/justinpeck/videos

Justin Peck and Janie Taylor

Justin Peck and Taylor Stanley on Peck’s ‘Rōdē,ō: Four Dance Episodes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqPDiyXjTbc&feature=youtu.be

Justin Peck & Sufjan Stevens – Excerpts and discussion of Peck’s  “Year of the Rabbit”

Miami City Ballet: Justin Peck & Shepard Fairey – Excerpts and discussion of Peck’s  “Year of the Rabbit”

Articles [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: choreographer, choreographer awards, Justin Peck, new york city ballet, nycb, The New York Choreographic Institute

DVD Review: BALLET 422

November 16, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

by Rachel Hellwig

BALLET 422, a documentary by Jody Lee Lipes, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Justin Peck’s Paz de la Jolla, his third ballet for New York City Ballet and the company’s 422nd new work.

Without the use of voiceover narration or intermittent interviews, the film shows scenes of Peck dancing alone in the studio for a phone camera, making sketches of steps and formations for the ballet, using his computer as an aid, and giving directives in rehearsal–“isolate the elbows”, “it’s not crispy enough”. But if you’re looking for more detailed insight into his choreographic process and the ideas behind Paz de la Jolla (as a well as the filmmaking process), you’ll want to turn on the commentary by Peck and Lipes in the Special Features section. You’ll have to do this on your second viewing though, because it will be layered over the film’s sound. I found the commentary enriching and I wish it could have been incorporated into BALLET 422 instead being a supplement. Nonetheless, there is an effective, quiet drama evoked in the film’s minimalist approach.

BALLET 422 also features backstage scenes, Peck’s collaboration with costume designers, discussions with lighting director Mark Stanley, and work with the late Albert Evans, former NYCB dancer and ballet master. As for the dance scenes, they give glimpses of the unique qualities of the principals of Paz de la Jolla: the athletic, lightning-speed sprightliness of Tiler Peck (no relation to Mr. Peck), the rebounding energy and charisma of Amar Ramasar, and the understated sophistication of Sterling Hyltin. Moreover, the dance scenes and performance clips capture some of the most exciting elements of Peck’s choreography –the Balanchinian propulsion of speed extended into a digital-age pulse and the prose poetry in his manner of melding contemporary and classical movement.

Magnolia Pictures, 75 minutes.


Purchase this DVD:

Filed Under: DVDs, Reviews Tagged With: amar ramasar, BALLET 422, choreography, dance dvd, dvd review, Justin Peck, new york city ballet, nycb, Paz de la Jolla, review, Sterling Hyltin, Tiler Peck

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