Ballet 422
Just a quick note about the new documentary Ballet 422 , which is enjoying its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Jody Lee Lipes (film adaptation of NY Export: Opus Jazz ), this gives audiences a peek into what's involved in bringing a new ballet to the stage. The subject is NYCB dancer and rising choreographer Justin Peck , and Ballet 422 follows him as he creates Paz de La Jolla , which premiered at City Ballet in January 2013, and was the 422nd ballet made for the Company. What's fascinating about the style of film making is that it doesn't intrude on the process or interpolate a point of view. There are no "talking head" interviews, no voice overs, no underscore. It's just fly-on-the-wall POV, which is rather refreshing. It allows us to be observers, just like Lipes and assistant cinematographer Nick Bentgen were when filming. I also think it's interesting to get a look at the process—to see the stops and starts; to s...