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Does It Get Any More America Than This Bob Dylan- and Dan Deacon-Themed Ballet?

NYCB wunderkind choreographer Justin Peck talks with Noisey about 'The Times They Are Racing,' a nod to Dylan in dance form, set to Deacon's 'America.'

Photos by Paul Kolnik

Though known as one of ballet's most prolific choreographers today, Justin Peck isn't just a man in tights listening to 19th century classical music. The 29-year-old, who wears on-trend sneakers and headphones as often as ballet shoes and stage makeup, is changing the art using his personal passion for current culture.

Peck most famously injected his "cool" factor into the art form, which is sometimes portrayed as outdated, by often working with indie darling Sufjan Stevens. Now he's back with a new ballet, The Times Are Racing—a nod to one of his favorite artists, Bob Dylan and his "The Times Are A Changin"—set to Dan Deacon's 2012 America suite.

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Backstage at New York City Ballet's theater in Manhattan between rehearsals, the subdued, yet friendly dancer tells us about his many years obsessing over America, and how he planned to share that passion. Using Dan Deacon's unique brand of electronica, Peck now wants to surprise people who've possibly never heard anything like Deacon's music before, intrigue those who misjudge ballet, or just give others an outlet to express their fear, love, and angst in Trump's America.

But dance isn't just relevant sonically and thematically, it also reflects New York City's pulse. You won't see ballerinas wearing pointe shoes on stage, but modified sneakers. And there will be no tutus—the costumes are designed by Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon. NYCB even released a preview for the ballet filmed at one of New York City's gritty subway stations. Like dance icon and NYCB figurehead Jerome Robbins did for early 1960s by choreographing West Side Story, Justin Peck is bringing 21st century, and all that comes with it, to the stage.

Noisey: In an interview back in 2012, Dan Deacon mentioned he didn't want the album to be heavily political, but about the country's sprawling nature. At the same time, it does seem like it's political side is especially appropriate today.
Justin Peck: I think it is even more appropriate now than it was when it was written in 2012. I guess I would probably describe the ballet in the same way as you described his music. I don't necessarily want it to be literally tied to the political climate right now, but with that said, I do feel like there are a lot of political undertones and reactions that have found their way into the steps and the ballet itself. I think that Dan was able to synthesize both the beauty of the American landscape and that kind of political angst and frustration that he was feeling. Somehow he put those elements together and created something really magical and elevated.I think it's part of what makes it so great is those two antagonistic qualities that push the music into different territory.

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[America] is a more complex album than some of the stuff Dan has done before. Did you have that in mind when you choreographed this piece?
Yeah, I agree. I think it is a more mature work if you look at his trajectory as an artist and as a composer. I think one thing I really love about the music is how cathartic it is. I found that there is a very unique feeling experienced when one listens to the complete track without stopping. It's almost like a runner's high, but at the same time there's a sense of release.

Why do you decide to work with big indie artists, like Dan Deacon and Sufjan Stevens, whose music you wouldn't necessarily think of when you think of ballet?
It really just comes down to personal taste. In a really simple way, I work with music that inspires me and moves me and challenges me. I've been a fan of Sufjan's and I've been a fan of Dan's for a long time. I'm lucky that I have this outlet to work with them. At the same time, they've both had training in the classical arts, and are doing interesting things with music in that sense, too. I feel like that fits into what we're doing here at New York City Ballet, and also pushes the envelope a little bit. Hopefully it will surprise people. When they read that there's a ballet where Dan Deacon wrote the music—that's not typically something that people would expect. So it has its perks in that sense, too.

What would you say is your personal relationship to music? Are you able to separate dance from the music itself or do you see choreography in your head?

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I think there's both. When I'm considering a work to choreograph it has to guide me to choreographic thoughts. Then there's music that I love that I have no interest in choreographing. I don't think that everything necessarily lends itself well to becoming a dance. What I will say is there's a full cycle experience to when I decide to choreograph a piece. What happens is I listen to it obsessively all the way through the premiere, and then once I'm done with the premiere, I usually don't listen to it anymore. So it kind of dies. If it's a piece that I really love, then it's sad in a way.

So how many times did you listen to America before you thought, "I want to do a piece for that."
I knew from the beginning I wanted to do a piece, but it took me a while to work up the courage to choreograph [The Times Are Racing]. I think the music is extraordinary, but also somewhat divisive and abrasive in certain moments. So I knew it would be a little bit of a risk. It took a few years to find the right moment to pursue it.

Are there any artists you'd love to work with next?
Well if we're talking more along the lines of indie music circuit, I think it would be really amazing to work with Joanna Newsom on a piece. She has a very sort of French classical music aesthetic to her that I love. I've always been a fan of her music as well. She's kind of allusive. She would write something very beautiful for ballet.

Sarah Bellman is a writer based in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.