Justin Peck (born September 8, 1987) is an American choreographer, director, and dancer associated with

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

, of which he was appointed Resident Choreographer in July 2014, being the second person in the history of the institution to hold this title. In 2018 he won the

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

for his work on the third

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

revival of

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...

's ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

''. Peck also choreographed the 2021

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

film ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'', an adaptation of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Early life

Peck was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in San Diego, California. 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 American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

in ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

'' which inspired him to begin training in the ballet form.

Career

At 15 years old, Peck moved to New York City to attend the

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...

. In 2006, when he was 18 years old, he was invited by

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...

to join the New York City Ballet as an apprentice. In June 2007, he was promoted to

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. ...

. In February 2013, he was promoted to soloist. At New York City Ballet, Peck has danced extensive repertoire, performing in existing and new works by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, Peter Martins,

Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has also ...

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (russian: Алексей Осипович Ратманский, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet. He left R ...

Lynne Taylor-Corbett Lynne Taylor-Corbett is a choreographer, director, lyricist, and composer. She was born in Denver, Colorado. Life Lynne Taylor-Corbett grew up in the Denver, Colorado area, gaining her first exposure to dance through her mother, a pianist for ball ...

, and

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon OBE (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Life and career Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dan ...

. In 2008, Peck choreographed his first ballet. He has since created more than 25 works, for companies such as New York City Ballet,

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dan ...

Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Lourdes Lopez. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella, f ...

, LA Dance Project, and

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

. 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." In 2014, Peck was named the New York City Ballet's Resident Choreographer, the youngest and only the second ever to hold the position. Peck is the focus of the 2014

Jody Lee Lipes Jody Lee Lipes (born January 18, 1982) is an American cinematographer and filmmaker. A native of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Lipes attended New York University, where he studied film. He worked extensively on short films before serving as cinematogr ...

documentary ''Ballet 422''. Peck has worked with composers

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in coll ...

(of the band The National), Caroline Shaw, Dan Deacon,

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...

, and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

. He has also collaborated with visual artists

Shepard Fairey Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989 he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker cam ...

Marcel Dzama Marcel Dzama (born May 4, 1974) is a contemporary artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada who currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings. Education Dzama r ...

Sterling Ruby Sterling Ruby (born January 21, 1972) is an American artist who works in a large variety of media including ceramics, painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, video, and textiles. Often, his work is presented in large and densely packed installatio ...

, John Baldessari, Steve Powers, George Condo; fashion designers Humberto Leon (Opening Ceremony,

Kenzo is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kenzō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢三, "wise, three" *健三, "healthy, three" *謙三, "humble, three" *健想, "healthy, concept" *建造, "bu ...

), Dries Van Noten, Tsumori Chisato,

Mary Katrantzou Mary Katrantzou (born 29 January 1983) is a Greek fashion designer who lives and works in London. Early life Mary Katrantzou was born in Athens, Greece to an interior design mother and a father who trained in textile engineering. Katrantzou m ...

, and

Prabal Gurung Prabal Gurung ( ne, प्रवल गुरुङ) (born 1979) is a Singapore–born Nepalese–American fashion designer based in New York City. Early life and education Gurung was born on March 31, 1979, in Singapore to Nepali parents and ...

; and directors Steven Spielberg, Sofia Coppola, Damian Chazelle, and Jody Lee Lipes. He has contributed to the fashion world, working with ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', ''Nowness'', ''Vogue China'', ''Vogue Australia'', ''DuJour'' magazine, ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'', ''New York Magazine'', and others. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' has proclaimed that "Mr. Peck has quickly become the most eminent choreographer of ballet in the United States," and that "young Mr. Peck can do anything he wants with choreography: a virtuoso of the form." Peck provided the choreography for the third

revival of

's ''

'' in 2018 at the

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed fo ...

. Peck has received numerous award nominations for his work on the production including a

''Ballet 422''

''Ballet 422'' follows Peck's process of creating ''

Paz de la Jolla ''Paz de la Jolla'' is a contemporary ballet choreographed by Justin Peck for the New York City Ballet. It is Peck's third choreographed piece, the 422nd ballet choreographed for the New York City Ballet, and its creation was featured in the docu ...

'' for the New York City Ballet, focusing on aspects such as choreography, staging, lighting, and costumes. The movie was filmed and directed by Jody Lee Lipes, an American cinematographer known for his cinematography in the television show ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...

'' and film '' Manchester by the Sea''.

Personal life

Peck is married to former Miami City Ballet principal dancer

Patricia Delgado Patricia Delgado (born ) 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 ...

. They welcomed their daughter in March 2021.

Awards and nominations

* In 2013, Peck's ''Year of the Rabbit'' was a nomination for the

Benois De La Danse The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition held annually in Moscow. Founded by the International Dance Association in 1991, it takes place each year on or around April 29 and it's judged by a jury. The members of this jury change every year and ...

. * In 2015, Peck's ''Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes'' received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Production. This work received a nomination for the Benois De La Danse in 2016. * Peck was awarded the 2018

for Rodger's and Hammerstein's ''Carousel'' * Peck was awarded the 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for Rodger's and Hammerstein's ''Carousel'' * Peck was awarded the 2018

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

for Rodger's and Hammerstein's ''Carousel'' * Peck was awarded the 2018 Ted Arison Young Arts Awards at the National Arts Awards. * Peck received the Golden Plate from the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

presented by Awards Council member

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Outst ...

in 2019.

Selected works

* '' In Creases'' (2012) – New York City Ballet * ''

Year of the Rabbit The rabbit ( 兔) is the fourth in the twelve-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 卯. In the Vietnamese zodiac and t ...

'' (2012) – New York City Ballet * ''

'' (2013) – New York City Ballet * ''Chutes and Ladders'' (2013) – Miami City Ballet * ''Capricious Maneuvers'' (2013) – New York City Ballet * ''Murder Ballades'' (2013) – LA Dance Project * ''

Everywhere We Go ''Everywhere We Go'' is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on March 2, 1999 via BNA Records. The first in his career to be certified double platinum for sales of two million copies, it produced ...

'' (2014) – New York City Ballet * ''Belles-Lettres'' (2014) – New York City Ballet * ''Debonair'' (2014) – Pacific Northwest Ballet * ''Helix'' (2014) – LA Dance Project * '' Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes'' (2015) – New York City Ballet * ''Heatscape'' (2015) – Miami City Ballet * ''New Blood'' (2015) – New York City Ballet * ''The Most Incredible Thing'' (2016) – New York City Ballet * ''

In the Countenance of Kings ''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. P ...

'' (2016) – San Francisco Ballet * ''Entre chien et loup'' (2016) – Paris Opera Ballet * ''Scherzo Fantastique'' (2016) -New York City Ballet * ''The Dreamers'' (2016) – New York City Ballet * ''

The Times Are Racing ''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 ...

'' (2017) – New York City Ballet * ''The Decalogue'' (2017) - New York City Ballet * ''

Pulcinella Variations ''Pulcinella Variations'' is a one-act ballet by Justin Peck, set to Igor Stravinsky's ''Pulcinella Suite'', with costumes designed by Tsumori Chisato. The ballet premiered on September 28, 2017, danced by the New York City Ballet, at the David ...

'' (2017) – New York City Ballet *''

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' (stylised as ) is the sixth studio album by French electronic music band M83. The album was released on 18 October 2011, by Naïve Records in France and by Mute Records in the United States. The album was the last ...

'' (2018) - San Francisco Ballet * ''Easy'' (2018) - New York City Ballet * ''Principia'' (2019) - New York City Ballet *''Reflections'' (2019) - Houston Ballet * ''Bright'' (2019) - New York City Ballet * ''Rotunda'' (2020) - New York City Ballet

References

! colspan="3" ,

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Peck, Justin 1987 births 21st-century American dancers Living people New York City Ballet soloists Ballet choreographers Choreographers of New York City Ballet 21st-century ballet dancers Tony Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Dancers from Washington, D.C. People from San Diego