Justin Peck Makes A Political Statement In Ballet Performances By Having A Woman Portray The Principal Role

Justin Peck's recent ballet performance was clearly compared to the ones he had prior to the US Presidential elections, since statements were clearly being made during the dance. It was entitled "The Times Are Racing" and was completely different from his previous choreographies.

The 29-year-old Justin Peck has started choreographing the ballet dance way before the elections. However, upon Donald Trump's victory, he claimed that ballet had changed its course. Peck did so by choosing a woman as an understudy for a man as the principal role of a ballet that premiered within the week. The double of the star dancer Robert Fairchild was Ashly Isaacs and will be so for five winter performances of "The Times Are Racing" as confirmed by the New York City Ballet.

According to Yahoo, Isaacs will be taking part of the principal role only when Fairchild is away. However, since the latter is already scheduled to be away during the performance scheduled in May, Isaacs is ready to set the stage with her performance. Reports have claimed that this may be the first time that a woman takes the center role of a Ballet performance, claimed to have been pursued by Peck in protest of the recent administration of the new U.S. President Donald Trump. Even though women have already been considered to take leading roles in theatre, a woman taking the lead in ballet is still considered taboo even to this generation.

Peck said in an interview as reported by the New York Times that even though it may not be the first time to have a woman portray a principal role in a ballet performance, it certainly felt like it was given the circumstances. The upcoming performance, "The Times Are Racing," is a mix of classical dance, hip-hop, and tap dancing as well that makes a political statement. This is done so by having the participants wear hoodies with political statements written on their outfits, containing words of protest. This definitely marks one of the iconic ballet performances in history.

TagsJustin Peck, Ballet Performance, New York City Ballet, Ballet, Ballet Dancing, American Ballet Theatre