His career has skyrocketed since first meeting Nedvigin and he is now one of the most celebrated choreographers in the world. Peck too has been on an exciting journey. He describes Atlanta Ballet as an ensemble of eager young dancers hungry for guidance and ready to take on more responsibility performing and interpreting work. “I am always curious about the dancers who help define the identity of a company,” he says. That’s a testament to the ballet’s strong architecture, he says. The work can be both challenging and fulfilling for dancers and companies who take it on but Peck feels the pure abstraction of the work lends itself to a wide variety of company styles and interpretations. Since its 2012 premiere, “In Creases” has been performed by companies nationally and internationally, among them the Paris Opera Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet. It is clearly (and beautifully) Balanchine-inspired - the clean, unfussy vocabulary, those curving lines of dancers holding hands - but it showcased Peck’s unique approach to music and abstraction and established him as a talented choreographer in his own right. “In Creases” was Peck’s first official stage work for New York City Ballet when he was still dancing with the company. “The cast has to work together,” he says, “but each dancer has a moment to step out of the group and take the center light.” Peck describes the ballet as an ensemble work for eight soloists. “I communicate a lot through metaphor and imagery,” Peck says, “and that can still be done to great effect with Zoom and video.” He and Breeden worked together to decide which eight dancers to cast in the ballet, with Peck having the final say.

Instead, he communicated with the dancers on Zoom, while his longtime répétiteur Michael Breeden worked with the dancers in person. Peck wasn’t able to travel to Atlanta to set “In Creases” on the company. “Leading a company forward requires a lot of difficult decision-making and it’s been a pleasure to witness him take this on.” He feels Nedvigin brings the same enthusiasm to his role as artistic director that he brought to his career as a dancer.

“It’s really exciting to collaborate with him now this way.” Even during a phone interview, Peck likes to move - he was walking the streets of New York as we talked. “I was blown away by how focused Gennadi was at San Francisco Ballet,” said Peck.

Asthetic zoom logo