The newly wedded bliss that follows in the first year of marriage (for those who are a part of the institution) may seem like a privilege all new couples are awarded. But for New York City Ballet stars Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck, their nuptials took a hit due to their devotion to work.
This would prove to be the first time the couple was separated. The duo was friends, partners and colleagues for more than a decade, beginning with their years at the School for American Ballet in their early teens. However, once those years came to a close, their first year of marriage was spent with a rather large wedge between them--the divide being an entire ocean.
Mr. Fairchild spent that year in Paris starring in An American in Paris while Peck was back home in Washington, preparing for the musical Little Dancer.
In an interview with The New York Times, the couple commented on their time apart. Ms. Peck said, "Everyone said the first year would be so much fun being together, but for us that's been put on hold."
Robert Fairchild elaborated a little further, saying, "Before we married, we had the perfect scenario - we did everything together. We could just look at one another across the room in ballet class, and that was enough to check in."
He continued, "Being just a guy, I hadn't thought through what being separated would mean for our relationship. For us as a couple, I wouldn't say this year was magical, but at the end of the day, there's a sense of belonging. We're partners in life. It's like watering your garden. A marriage has to be tended to." He added, "She broke up with me for three years in the past, and I remember what that felt like."
So while they have reunited for a brief time, another hardship is set to come with the ballet season ending in New York on June 7. Tiler Peck will teach ballet in California and that will add another wedge, but the pair is confident that the time won't diminish their true love.
In the meantime, they wait in anticipation of Mr. Fairchild's Tony nomination for An American in Paris, which will see its outcome June 7.
