Tiler Peck to Receive Jacob's Pillow Dance Award in 2026
Peck and NYCB principal dancer Roman Mejia's will perform George Balanchine's Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux at the gala.
New York City Ballet principal dancer, choreographer, curator, actress, and author Tiler Peck will receive the 2026 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award. Peck will accept this award at Jacob's Pillow's annual Season Opening Gala in Becket on Saturday, June 20.
“I'm honored to be receiving the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award and to be included alongside such talented past awardees,” said Peck. “To receive an award that highlights exceptional vision feels like a wonderful reminder that I am on the right track. I'm always looking to push myself and the boundaries that exist to continue growing as an artist. I remain committed to dreaming big, learning constantly, and finding meaningful ways to push this incredible art form forward. This honor means the world to me as I continue on that journey.”
The Gala will feature a night of celebratory performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre, including Peck and New York City Ballet principal dancer Roman Mejia's performance of George Balanchine's virtuosic masterpiece Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, and The School at Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble's performance of a world premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
Five-time Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman will honor Peck's impact and leadership at the award presentation during the Season Opening Gala. “I've had the privilege of knowing Tiler since she was just 10 years old when she was in my Broadway production of The Music Man,” said Stroman. “Over the years, I've witnessed her remarkable ascent to become a reigning principal ballerina at New York City Ballet. It's been an honor to have her grace the stage in two of my ballets. I am in awe of her extraordinary musicality. Soon she'll star in my musical, Little Dancer, in London. She's an exceptional artist, constantly evolving and challenging traditional artistic boundaries. She is truly one of a kind.”
The Jacob's Pillow Dance Award is presented each year to an artist of exceptional vision and achievement, and carries a cash prize of $25,000 which the artist can use as they choose. Peck, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet since 2009, has built a remarkable career spanning more than two decades, consistently exemplifying dance at its highest level. Beyond the stage, Peck has expanded her artistic reach to include Broadway, acclaimed choreographic works, and high-profile collaborations—among them her own Thousandth Orange and William Forsythe's The Barre Project (Blake Works II)—as well as ventures in authorship and design. Through her artistry and entrepreneurial spirit, Peck continues to inspire dancers and artists to achieve their own excellence in the dance and entertainment worlds.
The Jacob's Pillow Dance Award was established in 2007 and is philanthropically supported by an anonymous donor. Past honorees include Norton Owen, Misty Copeland, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Dormeshia, Ronald K. Brown, Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Camille A. Brown, Liz Lerman, and Faye Driscoll, among others.
In-person tickets and table sponsorships to the Season Opening Gala are now on sale. Additionally, the Gala performance will be livestreamed and accessible for free, with the option to donate.
About Tiler Peck
Tiler Peck is widely recognized as one of the top American ballerinas of our time. She is a rare crossover force—an electrifying principal dancer at New York City Ballet since 2009, who blends pristine classical technique with contemporary star power. A choreographer, curator, author, and designer, Peck has redefined what it means to be a 21st-century ballerina—equally at home in Balanchine masterpieces and boundary-pushing collaborations across dance, Broadway, and film.
Tiler Peck was born in Bakersfield, California. She began her dance training at the age of two at her mother's dance studio, Bakersfield Dance Company. At the age of 12, Peck entered the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. She returned to the School of American Ballet for the following two summers, and then joined as a full-time student. In 2004, Peck became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet, and was officially promoted to principal dancer in October 2009. In February 2024, Peck premiered her first work for New York City Ballet, Concerto for Two Pianos. Notable works by Peck include Time Spell, in collaboration with Michelle Dorrance and Jillian Meyers, as well as Lincoln Square (2018), Thousandth Orange (2019), And So (2021), Variations on a Theme (2022), and Silent Woods (2023), all of which had premieres at Vail Dance Festival.
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