The City Ballet dance style is fast, energetic, athletic, with sharp contrasts of dynamics. When you choreograph here, do you work instinctively within that style?

WHEELDON When I started at City Ballet, the attack and speed and energy were so alien to my body that I struggled for almost two years to keep up. But as a choreographer, I was so inspired. I always hoped to harness the qualities I so admired from that technique, with the softer, rounder, upper-body singing that Alexei spoke about. There is never really a lot of time to make a new ballet [at City Ballet], and that forces you to be spontaneous — to rely a little bit more on instinct, and trust that.

RATMANSKY My reaction is the opposite. The speed of the process blocks me from being spontaneous and forces me to prepare much more. I have always loved this work and style. I wanted to get into New York City Ballet; I auditioned, quite a few times, unsuccessfully. So for me, to work in this style was ideal. At the same time, I felt that giving [the dancers] aspects that they are not familiar with excites their interest. So working on their upper bodies, or maybe more dramatic expression and bigger movement — the things I learned at the Bolshoi, in Europe and Denmark — can be good in terms of pushing the dancers outside their comfort zone.

How important is working with new music?

PECK It’s my favorite thing to do. I think it’s also really important for maintaining our relevance as an art form. I feel like there is a different, new energy when I collaborate with a living artist, whether it be a composer, designer, lighting designer. I love that process.

RATMANSKY It’s exciting and can give brilliant results, but it’s more unpredictable and difficult. But I would say it’s the greatest luck for a choreographer to find “your” composer.

WHEELDON It’s true that it can be a terrifying experience, but it’s also exhilarating. Particularly working on a narrative ballet, when you are able to tailor the music in order to tell the story. It’s so satisfying to feel you are building something new with another artist. There is nothing quite like it actually.