Tiler Peck always knew that, no matter what, she wanted to dance for a living. In fact, she'd travel three hours to get to her dance classes. Oh, did I mention she was just six years old?!

But it wasn't until she moved to New York City five years later that she realized she wanted to be a ballerina. Peck and her grandmother spent a year in the Big Apple, and saw NYC Ballet's The Nutcracker. In that moment, Peck knew she was destined for that stage.

When she was just 15, Peck was accepted in the New York City Ballet Company. Three years later, she was performing in Romeo and Juliet when she injured her back. That's when she thought her career was derailed forever.

"I was in the physical therapy clinic and I was like, 'What does this mean? Does this mean my career is over? Am I ever going to be able to do this again?'" Peck recalls.

Through determination and consistent physical therapy, Peck was able to rehabilitate her injury and get back on stage. "I'll never forget my first performance back," she says. "I remember getting little tears in my eyes because I was so happy to be back on stage and doing what I loved."

Today, Peck says her injury taught her a lot about herself and the importance of patience—and she's ecstatic to be back centerstage. Catch Peck playing the Sugar Plum Fairy in the New York City Ballet's The Nutcracker this season.

As Peck describes it, "I cannot believe I get to do the role that made me want to be a ballerina."

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Amanda Kabbabe

Amanda is the Executive Producer of TV and video development at Hearst Magazines. She focuses on developing unscripted and docu-style content for linear and streaming platforms, as well as lifestyle digital content across the Hearst Magazines brands.