'Ballet 422': The graceful documentary wisely focuses on the rehearsal process
The documentary follows choreographer and New York City Ballet corps de ballet member (now soloist) Justin Peck as he prepares for the première of a show.
A scene from 'Ballet 422'
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Jody Lee Lipes’s documentary “Ballet 422” follows 25-year-old choreographer Justin Peck as he prepares in 2013 for the première of a ballet at the New York City Ballet, where he was at the time also a member of the company’s corps de ballet. (He is now a soloist.)
Dispensing with the usual talking-head interviews and other stylistic impositions, Lipes focuses on the rehearsal process. The result is a graceful sketch pad of a movie about how the strenuousness of creating art can sometimes yield riches that look light as a feather. Grade: B+ (Rated PG for brief language.)