By Malini Nagpal, BC-DMT, Ph.D.
Award-winning American Ballerina, Tiler Peck, has brought her critically acclaimed show, Turn It Out with Tiler Peck and Friends, to her home state of California this fall. This is after a sold-out world premiere in New York City and a European debut in London.
This California native shared “This program is a love letter to my craft as a dancer and the manifestation of my total freedom as an artist. I grew up doing all styles of dance and am grateful that I get to incorporate all of them alongside best-in-class multi-disciplinary dancers in a show that will undeniably be more than what people are used to seeing at the ballet with tutus and tiaras!”
She has been described by The New York Times as “the ballerina who can stop time (and restart it, too),” it is evident that Tiler Peck and friends are clearly amazing dancers, chorographers, and performers, and the performances thus far have received raving reviews. However, the most exciting aspect that I am looking forward to experiencing is this ensembles connection to each other and the pure joy of dance.
Dance is its people’s way of connecting, communicating, and expressing what is often difficult to put in word – verbal or written. Ms. Peck beautifully expressed to me that since the 2020 pandemic, it has been extremely challenging for performing artists. The connection with the audience and, more importantly, the connection with each other as dancers, choreographers, performers, has been lost. A sense of sadness, isolation, and depression sets in.
In my conversation with Tiler Peck, it became clear that this is where Turn it Out with Tiler Peck and Friends came to life. Per Ms. Peck, at least two choreographies 1) Alonzo King’s Swift Arrow with music by Jason Moran; 2) Time Spell, choreographed by tap dancer Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers, and Tiler Peck with music by Aaron Marcellus and Penelope Wendtlandt, were born during the pandemic. Ms. Peck shared that it was a way to connect to great artists such as King and Dorrance where there were “no expectations only the joy of connecting and doing the work.” In the darkest moments, this brought them closer. The virtual space forced them to simply be in “pure creation mode.”
It seems that the “earning to be together and to feel joy” is the key to this show’s success. The message Ms. Peck wants the audience to walk away with is “pure joy,” “freedom,” and a “collective connection.”
As a lover of dance and dancer myself, I am very excited to experience the pure joy that only dance can bring!
Turn it Out with Tiler Peck and Friends will be showing in Orange County at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Saturday, November 4th at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 5th at 2:00pm
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling Segerstrom Center for the Arts Ticket Office at (714) 556-2787. Ticket Office hours are Monday from 10:00am to 2:00pm and Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm PT.
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