Justin Peck | |
---|---|
Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. | September 8, 1987
Education | School of American Ballet |
Occupation(s) | Choreographer, dancer |
Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse | Patricia Delgado |
Children | 1 |
Career | |
Current group | New York City Ballet |
Website | justin-peck |
Justin Peck (born September 8, 1987) is an American choreographer, director, and dancer associated with New York City Ballet, of which he was appointed Resident Choreographer in July 2014, being the second person in the history of the institution to hold this title. [1] He made his Broadway debut working on the 2018 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel earning the Tony Award for Best Choreography. Peck choreographed the dance sequences for Steven Spielberg musical adaptation West Side Story (2021) and Bradley Cooper's biographical drama Maestro (2023).
Peck was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in San Diego, California. His father was from New York and his mother was of Ukrainian descent, born and raised in Argentina. [2] He began tap dancing when he was nine years old, after seeing a performance of Bring in 'da Noise . When Peck was 13, he witnessed a performance of American Ballet Theatre in Giselle which inspired him to begin training in the ballet form. At 15 years old, Peck moved to New York City to attend the School of American Ballet. [2]
In 2006, when he was 18 years old, he was invited by Peter Martins to join the New York City Ballet as an apprentice. [3] In June 2007, he was promoted to corps de ballet.[ citation needed ] In February 2013, he was promoted to soloist. [4] At New York City Ballet, Peck has danced extensive repertoire, performing in existing and new works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Benjamin Millepied, Alexei Ratmansky, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and Christopher Wheeldon.[ citation needed ] In 2008, Peck choreographed his first ballet.[ citation needed ] In 2012 he choreographed In Creases his first the New York City Ballet. [5] He has since created more than 25 works, for companies such as New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, [6] Miami City Ballet, [7] LA Dance Project, [8] and Paris Opera Ballet.[ citation needed ]
Alastair Macaulay, the chief dance critic at The New York Times, described Peck in an article as "the third important choreographer to have emerged in classical ballet this century." [1] In 2014, Peck was named the New York City Ballet's Resident Choreographer, the youngest and only the second ever to hold the position. [9] Peck is the focus of the 2014 Jody Lee Lipes documentary Ballet 422. [10] Ballet 422 follows Peck's process of creating Paz de la Jolla for the New York City Ballet, [10] focusing on aspects such as choreography, staging, lighting, and costumes. [9] [11] The movie was filmed and directed by Jody Lee Lipes, an American cinematographer known for his cinematography in the television show Girls and film Manchester by the Sea . [11] [12]
Peck has worked with composers Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner (of the band The National), Caroline Shaw, Dan Deacon, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. He has also collaborated with visual artists Shepard Fairey, Marcel Dzama, Sterling Ruby, John Baldessari, Steve Powers, George Condo; fashion designers Humberto Leon (Opening Ceremony, Kenzo), Dries Van Noten, Tsumori Chisato, Mary Katrantzou, and Prabal Gurung; and directors Steven Spielberg, Sofia Coppola, Damian Chazelle, and Jody Lee Lipes.[ citation needed ] He has contributed to the fashion world, working with Vogue , [13] Harper's Bazaar , [14] Nowness, [15] Vogue China, Vogue Australia, DuJour magazine, [16] Vulture , [17] New York Magazine, and others. The New York Times has proclaimed that "Mr. Peck has quickly become the most eminent choreographer of ballet in the United States," [18] and that "young Mr. Peck can do anything he wants with choreography: a virtuoso of the form." [19]
Peck provided the choreography for the third Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel in 2018 at the Imperial Theatre. [20] Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times praised his work on the production writing, "His works, polished and contemporary, are energetic through each individual body and in striking ensembles; and they often ask gender questions, with both opposite-sex and same-sex pairings...In almost every piece he tackles, he adds to his already impressive accomplishments". [21] For his work Peck earned the Tony Award for Best Choreography. [22]
Peck made his first foray into film choreographing dance sequences in Steven Spielberg's musical drama West Side Story (2021). Of the experience he said that "they approached this with a sense of reverence and admiration for the original...But for this updated version, he makes the dances more menacing." [23] Peck stated of collaborating with Spielberg, "There was a process of working toward understanding it that Steven went through, and that we were in constant dialogue about. It was helping him understand the full range of what dance could express in a moment — that it was its own tool of language that could run throughout this film in the same way that words could or visuals could". [24]
A few years later Peck worked on Bradley Cooper's biographical drama Maestro (2023) about the complicated marriage between the composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Peck choreographed the imaginary dance sequence involving Bernstein and Montenegro played by Cooper and Carey Mulligan. Peck oversaw the Fancy Free section of the scene and then devise original choreography for the On the Town music. Together, Cooper explains, they worked on “the best choreography to tell the story of, they are going to be pulled apart in this life, everybody’s going to be around them, there are going to be hands and eyes on them, and then they are going to try to find each other. [25]
In 2023 Peck adapted a musical production of Sufjan Stevens' 2005 concept album Illinoise alongside playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury. [26] The production had its debut at the Fisher Center at Bard before playing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. It was announced that the 2024 transfer will play the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The production will "weave together delicate folk narratives about blossoming queerness, orchestral anthems destined for cinematic montages, and jazz tunes about the state’s ghost towns". [27] Peck said he drew inspiration from the 1975 musical A Chorus Line saying, "It’s about this group of humans, and one by one we’re getting their stories...Some of them are short, single songs. Some of them are a little more extensive. Some of them build and build and build, and relationships form...I think there’s a parallel to that structure with the show we’re doing here". [28]
Peck is married to former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado. They welcomed their daughter in March 2021. [29]
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The Times Are Racing is a one-act ballet by Justin Peck, to "USA I-IV" from Dan Deacon's album America, with costumes designed by Humberto Leon from the fashion label Opening Ceremony and lighting design by Brandon Stirling Baker. It premiered on January 26, 2017 at the David H. Koch Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet.
Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes is a one-act ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to "Four Dance Episodes" from Copland's Rodeo. The ballet premiered on February 4, 2015, at the David H. Koch Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet.
Year of the Rabbit is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to music from Sufjan Stevens's album, Enjoy Your Rabbit. The ballet premiered on October 5, 2012, at the David H. Koch Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet.
In Creases is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck, his first for the New York City Ballet, to Philip Glass' "Four Movements for Two Pianos". The ballet premiered on July 14, 2012, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, during the company's annual season there, and had its New York City premiere on May 29, 2013.
Patricia Delgado is an American ballet dancer, répétiteur and teacher. She joined the Miami City Ballet in 2000, was promoted to principal dancer in 2007 and left in 2017. Since then, she performs as a freelance dancer, stages works by Justin Peck and teaches ballet at The Juilliard School part-time. She served as an associate producer in the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story and as associate choreographer of the 2021 film adaptation of the musical.
In the Countenance of Kings is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to music from Sufjan Stevens's The BQE. The ballet was Peck's first ballet made for the San Francisco Ballet, and premiered in 2016 at the War Memorial Opera House.
Everywhere We Go is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck and scored by Sufjan Stevens. The ballet is plotless, danced by a cast of 25 and features nine sections. This is the second collaboration between Peck and Stevens, following Year of the Rabbit (2012). Everywhere We Go was created for the New York City Ballet (NYCB), and premiered on May 8, 2014, at the David H. Koch Theater, during NYCB's spring gala. The success of the ballet led to Peck's appointment as resident choreographer of NYCB, as the second person to hold the position.
National Medal of Arts recipient Edward Villella presents the Golden Plate Award to Justin Peck, a recipient of the Tony Award for Choreography, at the Banquet of the Golden Plate gala held at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.