{{Italic title}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox ballet | name = In Creases | italic title = yes | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | choreographer = Justin Peck | composer = Philip Glass | premiere = {{Start date|2012|07|14}} | place = Saratoga Performing Arts Center | ballet_company = New York City Ballet | characters = | designer = Justin Peck<br/>Marc Happel<br/>Brandon Stirling Baker | created_for = | genre = | type = | url = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> }} '''''In Creases''''' is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck, his first for the New York City Ballet, to Philip Glass' "Four Movements for Two Pianos". The ballet premiered on July 14, 2012, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, during the company's annual season there, and had its New York City premiere on May 29, 2013.
==Production== ===Background=== ''In Creases'' is the first ballet then-New York City Ballet corps de ballet member Justin Peck made for the company,<ref name=Chicago/> though he had already choreographed at the New York Choreographic Institute for several years.<ref name=Harss/> He originally expected his first "big opportunity" would be ''Year of the Rabbit'',<ref name=Chicago/> but was commissioned to make an expansion of a piece originally made for the institute.<ref name=Saratoga/>
===Choreography and music=== The title of the ballet is a pun, a comment on the music and what Peck "wanted to do structurally with the choreography."<ref name=NYT/><ref name=Vail/> The ballet is set to Philip Glass' Four Movements for Two Pianos, which was composed in 2008.<ref name=Vail/> Peck was initially hesitant in using a score by Glass as many choreographers had used Glass' music before, but opted to use it anyway because Peck believed it was "very good danceable music" and "a little bit more expansive than usual."<ref name=Harss/>
In the choreography, Peck "attempted to have the dancers consume as much space as possible, then moved on to how I could divide and fold or crease the space using the bodies of the dancers."<ref name=Vail/> According to Peck, the choreography is largely inspired by the score<ref name=Vail/> and incorporates two scientific concepts: withdrawal reflex and the relation of magnetic poles.<ref name=Saratoga/>
The cast consists of eight dancers and two onstage pianists.<ref name=Saratoga>{{cite news|url=https://www.saratogian.com/news/nycb-dancer-to-perform-world-premiere-at-spac/article_f676aabf-cff5-5228-bc0b-77168644aca1.html|title=NYCB dancer to perform world premiere at SPAC|newspaper=The Saratogian|last=Rogoff|first=Jay|date=July 7, 2012}}</ref> Compared with the Choreographic Institute, the rehearsal schedule for a main stage production is far more unpredictable and Peck would only receive the schedule the days beforehand, therefore he "was freaking out a little."<ref name=Harss/> While choreographing, he was also rehearsing and performing other ballets.<ref name=Saratoga/>
===Designs=== Peck and Marc Happel, head of the company costume department, designed the costumes.<ref name=NYT/> Peck said he wrote down his ideas for costumes and proposed different color palette options to Happel.<ref name=Harss/> As there were "no budget" for the costumes, Peck went to the company warehouse, hoping to "recycle or re-use" old costumes, but he found it "difficult, because everything looked either very dated or too current, and you could sort of recognize what ballet it came from."<ref name=Harss/> For the female costumes, he ended up choosing the leotards from Martins' ''Friandises'', but without the skirts, while the costumes for men are from unused unitards with some modifications.<ref name=Harss/>
The lighting was designed by Mark Stanley.<ref name=Harss/>
==Performances== ''In Creases'' premiered on July 14, 2012, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center,<ref name=Saratoga/> where the New York City Ballet performs annually,<ref name=Harss/> during which Peck performed in other ballets, including principal roles in Robbins' ''In the Night'' and Balanchine's ''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet''.<ref name=Saratoga/> Peck called the experience of watching it premiere "nerve wracking."<ref name=Vail/> Following its premiere, ''In Creases'' was performed by the smaller touring troupe New York City Ballet Moves,<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/arts/dance/justin-pecks-in-creases-by-new-york-city-ballet.html|title=A New Work That’s Steeped in the Classic, but Still Individual|newspaper=New York Times|last=Macaulay|first=Alastair|date=July 17, 2012}}</ref> including at the Vail Dance Festival.<ref name=Vail>{{cite news|url=https://www.vaildaily.com/news/watch-as-in-creases-unfolds/|title=Watch as 'In Creases' unfolds|newspaper=Vail Daily|last=Schnell|first=Caramie|date=July 28, 2012}}</ref> On the tour, Peck was in three other ballets, so he would watch ''In Creases'' then go backstage to get ready for his performance.<ref name=Harss>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2012/09/interview-justin-peck-new-york-city-ballet-dancer-and-choreographer/|title=Interview: Justin Peck – New York City Ballet – Dancer and Choreographer|website=DanceTabs|last=Harss|first=Marina|date=September 27, 2012}}</ref> The ballet had its New York City premiere on May 29, 2013, by then two other ballets by Peck, ''Year of the Rabbit'' and ''Paz de la Jolla'', had premiered there,<ref name=Harss2>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2013/05/new-york-city-ballet-in-creases-new-peck-quad-bill-new-york/|title=New York City Ballet – In Creases (new Peck) quad bill – New York|website=DanceTabs|last=Harss|first=Marina|date=May 31, 2013}}</ref> and Peck was promoted to soloist.<ref name=ft/>
The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago performed ''In Creases'' for the first time in 2015. It was the first ballet created by Peck for the New York City Ballet that was revived by another company.<ref name=Chicago>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-joffrey-new-works-dance-card-20150417-column.html|title=Talking to Justin Peck about 'New Works,' and what he thinks of Joffrey|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|last=Molzahn|first=Laura|date=April 20, 2015}}</ref> The Paris Opera Ballet had their premiere of ''In Creases'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paris-opera-ballet-perfor_b_9663582|title=Paris Opera Ballet Performs Balanchine, Robbins, Ratmansky, and Peck|work=HuffPost|last=Villarreal|first=Alexandra|date=April 12, 2016}}</ref> It was staged by Christian Tworzyanski, an original cast member who had recently joined Les Ballets de Monte Carlo in Monaco. Tworzyanski had never staged a ballet before, and learned the other roles via a video and speaking to Peck.<ref name=stage>{{cite news|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/justin-peck-repetiteurs-2597877305.html|title=Meet "The Pecking Order," Justin Peck's Young Team of Répétiteurs|work=Pointe Magazine|last=Scher|first=Avichai|date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> Tworzyanski has since staged ''In Creases'' for Ballet Austin, The Washington Ballet and BalletMet.<ref name=stage/> Boston Ballet and Ballet Arizona have also performed ''In Creases''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2018/03/06/boston-ballet-parts-in-suite|title=3 World-Class Choreographers Convene For Boston Ballet's 'Parts In Suite'|work=WBUR|last=Knox|first=Lawrence Elizabeth|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://eu.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2018/09/24/new-york-city-ballet-choreographer-justin-peck-brings-signature-piece-creases-ballet-arizona/1359822002/|title=Justin Peck brings signature piece to Ballet Arizona|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|last=Lengel|first=Kerry|date=September 24, 2018}}</ref>
==Original cast== Original cast:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/in-creases/|title=In Creases|website=New York City ballet|accessdate=October 27, 2020}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=22em}} *Emilie Gerrity *Brittany Pollack *Gretchen Smith *Lydia Wellington *Robert Fairchild *Taylor Stanley *Sean Suozzi *Christian Tworzyanski {{div col end}}
==Critical reception== On the world premiere, ''New York Times''{{'s}} Alastair Macaulay wrote that the impression of ''In Creases'' "is of a dreamscape that heightens the progress and colors of its score," though it "passes so smoothly that it’s difficult to remember after a first viewing just how these and other scenes all fit together." Reviewing the New York City premiere, Marina Harss of ''DanceTabs'' called it a "short, lively piece" but "[i]t’s not terribly surprising that ''In Creases'' is not as fully developed or integrated as ''Year of the Rabbit'' and ''Paz de la Jolla''."<ref name=Harss2/> Apollinaire Scherr of the ''Financial Times'' commented that the ballet "invested the moment with the force of the future, and its own modest self with a vision of the art form: enough for any audience, new and young included."<ref name=ft>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/551962b0-c917-11e2-bb56-00144feab7de|title=Justin Peck premiere premiere, Lincoln Center, New York – review|newspaper=Financial Times|last=Scherr|first=Apollinaire|date=May 30, 2013}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:2012 ballets Category:Ballets by Justin Peck Category:Ballets to the music of Philip Glass Category:New York City Ballet repertory