Choreographer Spotlight: Justin Peck
Justin Peck in rehearsal with New York City Ballet. Photo credit: Erin Baiano
Renowned for his energetic footwork and playful musicality, Justin Peck has forged an incredibly prolific career as New York City Ballet’s Resident Choreographer. Despite his prominence and popularity, his work continues to feel inventive while maintaining its stylistically recognizable flair. Peck began his choreographic journey in 2005 as a student at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s affiliated ballet school, and now twenty years later, he has produced over 50 ballets.
After joining New York City Ballet in 2006 as an apprentice he was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2007 and then to soloist in 2013. While dancing in the company, Peck was appointed as Resident Choreographer in 2014 at age 26. Since then he has continued to create work within the balletic sphere and outside it, branching into mediums like film and musical theater. His choreography is featured in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story (2021) as well as Bradly Cooper’s Bernstein biopic, Maestro (2023). He debuted his work on Broadway, choreographing for the musical Carousel in 2018, winning him a Tony. More recently, he created the dance musical Illinois set to Sufjan Stevens’s music that ran on Broadway from April to August of 2024. Illinois went on to win Peck a Tony for “Best Choreography” and was nominated for “Best Musical” in 2024.
Tiler Peck and the Company of New York City Ballet in Justin Peck’s Paz de la Jolla. Photo credit: Paul Kolnik
Peck manages to weave sentiments of unity and ardor through structure and motif, lending even his most abstract works a cohesive uplifting quality. His movement language bursts with an effervescent zip. There is often a triumphant energy that emanates throughout his pieces, whether en pointe or in sneakers, his dancers appear secure and purposeful as they contour lasting shapes in their wake. In this clip of Everywhere We Go (premiered 2014), Emily Kikta’s long limbs attack the stage, her jumps not only explode into the air but collect back downwards so quickly that the next step melds into the last. Speed is not merely a challenge for Peck, but a quality to be harnessed and explored. The agility conjured in this small snippet highlights the brightness of the horns and cymbals through Kikta’s concise execution of the steps. She pirouettes in between the crescendos, weaving Peck’s accents together to create a tapestry of intricate musicality.
Emily Kikta in Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go. Photo credit: Paul Kolnik
If you’d like to see footage of the choreographer at work, check out the documentary Ballet 422 (2014). This film features Peck at age 25, choreographing for the company's 2013 Winter Season. His work was the only new ballet of the season and he had “less than two months to create the Company's 422nd new ballet.” We come to learn he was the only company dancer choreographing at the time and witness him toggle his responsibilities as a performer and movement maker. His process is showcased fully from start to finish as we peek at him recording steps on his phone in the studio alone, writing down formations in his notebook, and orchestrating rehearsals at the front of the room. His eye for detail is on full display as he tweaks and creates steps on fellow company dancers, highlighting their strengths without sacrificing his vision. If you have yet to witness what it takes to create a ballet, I highly recommend watching. Peck’s 25th work for the company will be premiering in the program “New Combinations” for NYCB’s winter season on January 29-31st and February 2nd, 2025 and I look forward to seeing his newest creation.
Mira Nadon and the Company of New York City Ballet in Justin Peck’s Copland Dance Episodes. Photocredit: Erin Baiano