Tiler Peck was born in Bakersfield, California, in 1989, and began training at her mother’s ballet studio at the age of two. She joined New York City Ballet as an apprentice in 2004, becoming a principal dancer five years later, with leading roles in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, among others. Peck has also appeared in TV shows and films such as Donnie Darko. On 12 to 14 March she hosts a special mixed bill, Turn it Out with Tiler Peck & Friends, at Sadler’s Wells, including a pas de deux with her dancer husband Roman Mejia.
Film
Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025, dir. James Cameron)
I just saw the latest Avatar movie in the Imax and thought it was really great. I love how they create these worlds that you want to live in, though it does make you hate humans for a bit. It’s like, why are we always trying to mess with things? I loved the first Avatar in particular because I’d never seen anything like it. I’m a bit more used to the world of Pandora now, so I wasn’t as shocked. But I do think that the stories are really beautiful. I have no idea how they create these extraordinary worlds.
TV
The Pitt
The first season of this show takes you through a single 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room. At first it was hard for me to watch, because I lost my father two years ago, so I was like, oh, a hospital, I don’t know if I can do it. But it’s amazing to see these people who are saving people’s lives every day and what they have to go through. Noah Wyle just won a Golden Globe, as did the show. It’s so compelling and the attention to detail is amazing.
Music
The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift
I’m in awe of Taylor Swift. We’re a similar age and I relate to a lot of the things she says. The other day she told Seth Myers: “I don’t do anything other than this when I’m not sleeping.” And that’s how I feel about dancing: everything is about making this one thing I do as good as it can be. Her latest album wasn’t my favourite of hers, but it was nice to see her showing another side of her personality. She’s always true to what she wants to do and doesn’t worry what people think, which is pretty brave.
Place
Bora Bora
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My husband and I went to Bora Bora on honeymoon and it was just incredible. I don’t take much time off work, and whenever I go somewhere new, I’m excited for a moment, but then I want to get back to dancing. But this was like, oh my gosh, I never want to leave. I felt like I could really switch off. We stayed at the Four Seasons, in a bungalow over the water, which was amazing. The food was great too and it was so wonderful to see how proud the local people are of their land. It’s paradise.
Restaurant
Kricket, London W1
My husband took me to this restaurant while we were in London in November and I cannot wait to go back. I even wrote down everything I liked, to make sure I order them again: bhel puri; samphire pakoras; Mangalorean chicken; cucumber and peanut raita. I’m not super adventurous with food but I thought everything on that menu was so good. And you can see it being cooked right there, which is fun. The space is small but not too loud, so you can really talk with who you’re sitting with. I love it.
Ballet
La Fille mal Gardée
I had never seen La Fille mal Gardée until a few months ago, when I saw the Royal Ballet’s production with Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward in London – I actually saw it twice. The story could get a little cutesy; it’s about a girl who falls in love with a poor farmer against her mother’s wishes – basically, it’s the story of every old ballet. But I thought it was beautifully staged and Marcelino and Francesca were incredible. They really made you fall in love with their characters.
Photographs by Rikers Brothers, Warrick Page/HBOMAX, Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images, Alamy, Rebecca Dickson, Andrej Uspenski