I first read about Justin Peck in a New York Times article a few weeks ago, when one of his new pieces was premiering at New York City Ballet. Peck is a soloist for the company, and he's also their Resident Choreographer. And he's 28.
Artists I admire: The actresses of Mad Men
Artists I admire: The actors and director for A Raisin in the Sun at Brooklyn High School of the Arts
The highlight of the evening for me came when Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School took the stage with excerpts from their production of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry directed by Lisanne Shaffer. I teach this play at least once a year in a course at NYU, sometimes more, but I've only seen it once in performance. I think the story of the Younger family has the potential to resonate for people across a variety of communities because it deals very specifically with class differences while also revealing the struggles of an African American family in Chicago in the 1950s.
Artists I admire: Vera Perez
So I like to think that people can be artists in lots of different ways. To be an artist, a person needs to display a high level of artistry in a particular area, and that might not necessarily be something that we usually associate with the words "artist" or "artistic." This week's artist I admire falls into that category. She might not consider herself an artist, but based on my definition, she most certainly is. She's been an artist of the highest order in her work as a security guard at NYU. The artist I admire for this week is Vera Perez.
Artists I admire: Susan Marshall
During that time, I wrote about all sorts of projects created by a variety of choreographs. No work struck me as much or as deeply as Susan Marshall & Company's work, Cloudless (2006). I remember seeing the work for the first time and being completely overwhelmed not only by its power and simplicity, but also by its innate theatricality.