Ballet 422 (2014)
Cast: Justin Peck, Tiler Peck, Sterling Hyltin
Director: Jody Lee Lipes
Country: USA
Genre: Documentary
Editor’s Notes: Ballet 422 opens today, February 27th at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
It doesn’t matter how many times we are exposed to the ballet, there’s always an air of mystery about the spectacle. Jody Lee Lipes’s Ballet 422 reveals what goes into mounting these productions from inception to its final fruition.
Lipes follows Justin Peck, a dancer in the bottom rank, corps de ballet, of the New York City Ballet. Peck is twenty-five years old and choreographing his third professional ballet which happens to be the 422nd ballet for the company. The beginning snapshots show the young dancer practicing moves in front of his phone camera for the pieces. We see his face go from calm to slightly concerned, but never more than that. Somehow it seems there must be more, evidenced in Peck’s sketches of dance moves, his continual analysis of each of the dancer’s rehearsals, and the adjustments made by the costumers. Occasionally we see his eyes go wide in anticipation of his debut, but it only serves to show a great tension between his inexperience and the great responsibility that has been entrusted in him.
It doesn’t matter how many times we are exposed to the ballet, there’s always an air of mystery about the spectacle.
The camera stands back and the director stays behind the camera. No interviews are given and nothing is directed at the audience. We are merely witnesses to a highly involved, but expert production. Scenes show the dyeing of the fabrics, the test for lighting and backdrop color. One enlightening view is the company’s pianist, Cameron Grant, giving thoughtful advice to Peck on how he should address the orchestra, to give them feedback for the overall performance. Peck, in turn, takes heed and addresses them, but from his nervous gesticulations, once can tell he is unsure. It’s a sweet reminder of the place in time for both the choreographer and the audience.
We don’t see much of the performance at all since the focus is on how it is assembled, but in what we do see, there is freshness to the piece. “Paz de la Jolla” is based on Peck’s California upbringing. The costumes are varied and colorful. The moves are staccato and youthful. The dancers themselves are quite young, but what Lipes does so well here, is that he focuses on how skilled they are. Each of their movements controlled while still giving the illusion of effortless fluidity. This is the ballet’s art, of course. Yet in observation of their practice, there’s a weird magic being dispelled and reconfigured. While the dancers are some of the great examples of muscular perfection, they still stumble. They require so much work ethic for their craft that what might be considered beautiful to the ballet novice, becomes artful here.
We don’t see much of the performance at all since the focus is on how it is assembled, but in what we do see, there is freshness to the piece.
My only complaint about Ballet 422 is that we don’t get to see much of the internal processes that Peck goes through to create the piece. In fact, we don’t know much beyond his position and the true pressure that he must be feeling. We are left to decipher and discern the artist’s motivations in those moments in time. In many ways, this works for Lipes’ s film as in he melts into the walls without giving much input besides some title cards to explain situations and countdowns. The score is provided by the orchestral backgrounds and piano pieces the dancers work with and end up heightening curiosity for the final production.
Ballet 422 is a surprisingly engrossing affair. It might pique the interest of those wanting to know more about modern opera or even just about the very real architecture that goes into creating art of entertainment.
Ballet 422 is a surprisingly engrossing affair. It might pique the interest of those wanting to know more about modern opera or even just about the very real architecture that goes into creating art of entertainment.
