What Makes Choreographer Justin Peck’s Dances Distinct

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( dance [What Makes a Peck a Peck]( According to the New York City Ballet’s principal dancers, soloists, pianist, his wife — and Justin Peck. Photo: B) 2014 Paul Kolnik Watch an evening of [New York City Ballet](’s seminal works, and it’s easy to see a through-line from the company’s co-founder, George Balanchine, to [Justin Peck](, its resident choreographer since 2014. Both use the vocabulary of classical ballet and strip it of fussy flourishes. They’re precise in their attention to the music. And yet a [Peck ballet]( doesn’t look like anything else. He is mathematical like Balanchine, but there’s more of a lightness, an everyday quality that feels playful, even when the steps are technically arduous. He can be surprising and direct; at the same time, his movements make the performers seem like they’re dancing in private, or for each other, barely acknowledging the audience. His work can feel surprising, zigging when you expect a zag, tilting a dancer off balance or pulling her in opposing directions. The result is thrilling and joyous, contemporary even as it’s classical. [Read More]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • That ’90s Show: [Hello Again, Wisconsin (Episode 1)](, [The Same Old Thing That We Did Last Week (Episode 2)]( • Gossip Girl: [Hudson Valley Girls]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [The Makanai’s Twin Appetites Hirokazu Kore-eda’s live-action manga adaptation serves up cozy nourishment with a side of feminist ambition.]( By Roxana Hadadi [The Comedy Perfection of Richard Pryor’s ‘Heart Attacks’ The legendary stand-up’s five-minute bit is a master class in vulnerability, physicality, and reckoning with death.]( [Skinamarink Isn’t Like Other Horror Movies Kyle Edward Ball’s viral indie sensation has an analog aesthetic but was very much born from the internet.]( [Poker Face’s Natasha Lyonne Is Finally Playing Someone Who Likes People Rian Johnson and Lyonne explain how they created the next iconic sleuth.]( By Bethy Squires [Andrea Riseborough’s One Week of Oscar Buzz: A Timeline Within seven days, Andrea Riseborough’s performance in To Leslie went from obscurity to the toast of Twitter. And all it took was a few famous fans.]( [The BAFTAs Loved All Quiet on the Western Front 2023 nominations include Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Inisherin.]( By Jason P. Frank [Benjamin Bratt Has More Fun Playing the Bad Guy He portrays a merciless head of security menacing Natasha Lyonne on Peacock’s Poker Face.]( By Bethy Squires [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 33-Across, Four Letters: Like Jack Reacher (in the books, at least). Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images [Into It With Sam Sanders]( Photo-Illustration: Vulture What is it about the horror genre that makes it so successful at the box office? [On this episode of Into It](, Sam Sanders chats with James Wan, creator of the Saw and Conjuring universes — and most recently a producer on M3gan — about the enduring appeal of getting scared in a room full of strangers, the secret sauce of M3gan, and who would win in a three-way fight between M3gan, Chucky, and the doll from Poltergeist. [Read more from Vulture]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](link.nymag.com/manage/588/optout-vulture?email={EMAIL}&hash=39357a76f6d08b16239fd2ffa65e9c6f) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved