In “Ballet 422,” Who is the Man Assisting Justin Peck With His Production?
Since there is no direct interaction with the camera in Ballet 422 (2014), most of the people featured in the documentary aren’t introduced. A few cards of text at the beginning of the film introduce us to Justin Peck, the film’s primary focus, but everyone else’s name and significance to the company has to be known or figured out listening to them communicate with one another.
Choreographers almost always work with an assistant. The assistant helps them maintain consistency in the dance, takes their notes, and generally helps the choreographer as a second set of eyes. The fellow helping Justin Peck choreograph his ballet (serving as Ballet Master for the piece), is Albert Evans, a former principal dancer with NYCB. Evans joined NYCB in 1988 and retired as a professional dancer in 2010.
We see Peck speaking notes to Evans during theatre rehearsals as the dancers perform. Evans jots them down so Peck doesn’t have to take his eyes off the production for a second. These crucial tasks allow the choreographer to absorb themselves in the work without losing focus. Later on, the two can corroborate the notes and fix any issues with the dance.
In the case of the ever-determined Peck, Evans also acts as his scheduling assistant.
“Justin, can we give her a five? It’s been an hour,” Evans somewhat humorously interrupts at one point as Justin is rehearsing with Tiler Peck. Union rules apply to all, and one can’t get carried away.
Albert Evans passed away on June 22, 2015.