If you're a ballet fan, chances are you're familiar with the name Tiler Peck. In only 5 years, the eclectic dancer had risen through the ballet ranks from apprentice to principal at New York City Ballet. Now 29, Peck has dipped her pointe shoes in many pools: Broadway shows ('Little Dancer'), apparel design (Body Wrappers), TV appearances ('ABC's Dancing With the Stars'), and just a year ago - direction.
Last summer 2017, Peck became the first woman to curate a program for the Music Center in Los Angeles. For their 2nd edition of BalletNow™️, she wanted to highlight diversity and athleticism in dance. She invited 24 dancers not only from international ballet companies, such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, but also from other backgrounds, such as tap (Dorrance Dance), hip-hop (Virgil “Lil O” Gadson), and musical theatre (Bill Irwin). In a few months time, she put together 16 ballets, for a 3 night run - as if that wasn't enough work, she performed every night as well.
To capture her first time journey as a director, Peck teamed up with Emmy-winning actress Elisabeth Moss ('Mad Men', 'The Handmaid's Tale') and director Steven Cantor (Sergei Polunin's own documentary "Dancer"). Fun fact, Moss, who is the executive producer on this project, attended the same ballet school as Peck in California, and also went to SAB (School of American Ballet) for her summers! The behind-the-scene documentary 'Ballet Now', which dropped last Friday July 20th on Hulu, follows the young star juggling many hats from creating, directing, checking costumes, and jumping into a tutu to do what she knows best.
In a recent article with the New York Times, Peck spoke about the importance of that experience. "It was such a huge turning point for me. I know I could run a company. And I could do it really well.”