People - N.Y.C. Ballerina Tiler Peck Reflects on 'Tough' 2020 as COVID Halts Dance Industry

Peck says this is the first time in 16 years she won't be performing in the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker production,

For ballerina Tiler Peck, The Nutcracker will always hold a special place in her heart since it’s what first made her realize that her dream was to one day be in the New York City Ballet.

“When I was 11, I saw the production,” Peck tells PEOPLE. “My dad took us there for the holidays and I had never thought about being a ballerina. But once I saw it, I said, ‘Daddy, I want to dance on that stage someday.’ ”

Flash forward two decades and Peck, 31, has been with the New York City Ballet for 16 years, performing in that very same production year in and year out — until, of course, 2020, when the novel coronavirus pandemic uprooted life as she knew it.

The ballet’s annual five-week run of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker was canceled in June, marking the first time in nearly 70 years it won’t hit the stage, according to The New York Times. Months later, in August, the famed Rockettes canceled their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

The cancellation of such holiday staples has been a difficult adjustment for many in the city’s dance community, including Peck, a principal at the New York City Ballet who says performing anywhere but a stage with a live audience is near impossible — and certainly missing a spark.

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