Monthly Update
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JUSTIN PECK |
~Hi again~
It seems that things have severely shifted gears between Nutcracker Season and Winter Repertoire Season here at City Ballet. It has gone from the pace of a tortoise to the pace of a hare Balanchine ballerina executing a speed-of-lightning petit allegro combination. Nutcracker was a nice slow period for me because it consisted of virtually no dancing with performance, just pantomiming and exercising the muscles of the face. Now, I’ve entered the realm of relatively concentrated dancing every night, dealing with the snowball effect of having little time to learn the numerous ballets in a fastidious manner, and never seeing the light of day due to the constant rehearsing in the (windowless) theatre until dark. And although all of this may sound very draining, it is actually quite the opposite for most of us dancers. We thrive when we are most involved and consumed by our work, the unique lifestyle that goes along with that work, and the unmatched comradery of dancing with & working with professionals whom we are in close contact with from day to day.
At this point, we have just finished a thorough week-long run of Double Feature, Susan Stroman’s ballet homage to the silent film era. It is choreographed in a typical musical theatre fashion (Stroman’s specialty) and is saturated with classic entertainment. From a dancer’s perspective, it is a different approach to the dancing that we are used to. I feel as though it acted as a refreshing change of pace, and compliments our repertoire nicely. It provides contrast to the pure ballet we dance and helps to accentuate its substance.
photos by the talented Gwyneth Muller:
The muscle suit that I have wear for when I perform the role of Flossy’s husband
Flossy and her burly partner
I’ve also begun my Spring semester at Columbia. I was planning on taking 2 courses this semester, but my busy dance schedule has resulted in me having to drop one of the courses (maybe Fall semester will allow for more leeway, while I am waving my fan, powdering my nose, and suddenly sprouting double-Ds as Mother Ginger). With that said, I am working on a writing course this semester. So far it has been a lot of critical reading and writing, as well as approaching new ways to analyze & interpret art. So between juggling ballet, school, and some sort of personal life in between those two, I feel pretty consumed at the moment. I am, however, very much looking forward to NYCB’s tour to London in March, as I have never been over seas yet. So I am eager to experience the culture of England soon. That’s all for now, hopefully more thoughts to come in the near future
