Tiler Peck makes her NYCB choreographic debut

Of all the traditions of New York City Ballet, perhaps none is as revered as the tradition of giving its own dancers opportunities to choreograph. Christopher Wheeldon and Justin Peck are two prominent choreographers who got their start choreographing when they were still dancers in the company.

Last night, beloved ballerina Tiler Peck made her company choreographic debut. Peck has already choreographed for Vail Dance Festival and other dance companies, but NYCB commissioning a Peck ballet was a strong vote of confidence. The buzz in the audience was strong. NYCB audiences love Tiler Peck and want her to succeed.

Peck’s Concerto for Two Pianos ended up being pleasant, energetic and watchable, which makes it already a step above many contemporary ballet pieces. The music (to Poulenc’s concerto of the same name) is jaunty and tuneful. The costumes by Zac Posen were gorgeous. They were well-tailored to the dancers and the color scheme (various shades of blue for the corps and soloists, but a red dress for Mira Nadon) had a great pop.

Peck has clearly observed  the qualities of her dancers. The ballet is above all a spectacular showcase for Peck’s off-stage boyfriend Roman Mejia. Mejia’s part is much like the slave of Le Corsaire. Lots of fancy jumps, manèges of coupé jetés, and pirouettes à la seconde. He does not have a partner throughout the ballet. Mejia is always so fun to watch. He dances so huge, so full of energy, and it wasn’t a surprise that he got massive applause after every solo.

Mira Nadon and Chun-Wai Chan were the more conventional couple. Peck took advantage of Nadon’s lush stage presence and presented her as a bit of a dreamy vision. To drive home this point, Nadon made her entrance with a series of silky bourrées. Emma Von Enck and India Bradley were two solo jumping girls. Plenty of petit allegro steps and big “Kitri” jumps. They all looked like they were having fun.

Some of the corps formations and motifs echoed other ballets in NYCB’s repertoire. At one point, the girls lined up down the center as Mejia sat downstage, seemingly in a fever dream. It was a direct echo of Robbins’ Opus 19/Dreamer. At another time, Mejia and Chan playfully took turns partnering each other in some supported jumps. It looked so much like Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH.

One wishes Peck had been a little more willing to color outside the lines. If you've ever seen Peck in rehearsals, you'll know that she's a fastidious perfectionist. Peck choreographs the way she dances. Very classical, very structured. It's not groundbreaking.

The audience loved the ballet. Loud ovations during the curtain calls. Peck looked radiant as she came onstage and basked in the applause. It is always good to see female choreographers getting their flowers at NYCB, and there really is more to like than dislike in Concerto for Two Pianos.

Also, if one compared Tiler Peck’s piece to Justin Peck’s (no relation) Rotunda, one can appreciate how pleasing Concerto for Two Pianos is. Rotunda opened last night’s program and is stultifyingly boring. There are a whole bunch of dancers on stage and they make the familiar Justin Peck formations (the huddles!) but they’re all wasted. The Nico Muhly score exemplifies “elevator music”, the ballet goes on for way too long and at the end one remembers almost nothing about anything.

In contrast, Alexei Ratmansky’s Odesa made a welcome return to the repertory. This ballet seems to take place in a smoky nightclub and Leonid Desyatnikov’s score is tango-inflected. The ballet focuses on the romantic angst of three couples. Ratmansky is not afraid to color outside the lines. It was a shock to see the gentle, aristocratic Anthony Huxley and the effervescent Indiana Woodward dance a pas de deux full of angst and tension. There is mystery too. At one point, a woman (Megan Fairchild) is lifted aloft by a group of men and bounced in the air. When she gets back on the ground, she angrily slaps her partner (Daniel Ulbricht). Why? Ratmansky doesn’t exactly say. 

The ending is haunting. The entire cast is on the darkened stage, in what looks like a mourning ritual. Thus the genius: the ballet is a mere snapshot of the couples. When the curtain falls, we still don’t know what will happen to them. It really is like being at a dance club for the night. The stories of Odesa continue to live in your head.