Tiler Peck: What My Teacher Taught Me
January 18, 2013
NYCB’s Tiler Peck talks about her greatest mentor.
Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations
There’s a reason New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck climbed from the corps de ballet to principal dancer in less than five years. She brings a fresh spark to each role she performs. In NYCB’s “Tchaikovsky Celebration” (through February 24), Peck will dance everything from George Balanchine’s bright and whimsical Allegro Brillante to tutu ballet Theme and Variations. She thanks Tina Caspary for giving her the ability to bring artistry to diverse repertoire. The two met at Studio C in California, where Peck trained from age 6 to 13.
“Tina made me a performer at a young age. She showed me that watching other dancers can give you so much knowledge. Collect what you like about their dancing in your head, then pick out what feels good and make it your own. It isn’t the big steps that build the artistry of a role. The way you take your partner’s hand and how you place your feet in sous-sus can mean so many different things.”
Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy of NYCB
