Dancers literally soar to new heights in Ballet West's 'Peter Pan'

SALT LAKE CITY — The fairytale of Peter Pan isn't complete without the mischievous boy who never wants to grow up and can fly anywhere he wants.

So to fully portray the magical story, Ballet West dancers learned how to actually fly for what the company called its "most technically ambitious production ever."

"It's really special to bring some magic like that onto the stage. There's so much we have to do to make it so the audience doesn't know there's wires or a harness or anything else. It's just they think we're in Neverland," said dancer William Lynch.

Lynch and David Huffmire had the daunting task of undertaking the titular character, where they spent hours in a tight harness, hanging from the ceiling by just two wires, learning how to look graceful. Flying onstage is something only a few dancers get to experience for certain productions, so it takes time getting used to it, the dancers said.

"It's tricky to make sure you are orienting yourself the right way because it spins so easily. The slightest push off that's wrong can cause you to just keep going, and then you're facing backward when you're not supposed to be," Lynch said. "Once you get the hang of it, it's really fun, and it's really exciting."

Lynch has a fear of heights, but he said he always felt safe when strapped into the harness. In fact, the harness and wires are so demanding on the body he has been dealing with massive bruises on his hips and back from the hours of rehearsal and shows.

"The flying is exhausting in a completely different way to dancing on the ground," he said.

Huffmire has dealt with motion sickness his whole life when traveling in a car or plane. Spinning and flipping around in the air to portray the boy who never grew up proved to be just as hard on him.

While he has learned ways to deal with motion sickness, like staying hydrated, not being on an empty stomach and refraining from caffeine, "once you're 30 feet in the air looking up and spinning, there's nothing you can do," he joked.

Huffmire has some flying experience from being the Nutcracker Prince who flies away with a sleigh at the end of the ballet. But in that instance, he is secured to the sleigh and can't move much.

"With Peter, it's just you on your two points in space, so you move a little bit and you are spinning. With this flying as Peter, it's been a completely different mindset change on how to act and move," he said.

Huffmire explained he had to learn how to move more delicately as it's much easier to throw your body weight off when harnessed up. To fly elegantly, you have to keep your core strong and move "slowly and meticulously" like swimming through water.

"The feeling that I was having when I was flying above the stage I'm normally dancing on was a bit of fear to start with ... but once I got used to that, it was feeling free in the air and moving back and forth with a more delicate energy than you use on the floor," Huffmire said

Lexi McCloud, who plays Wendy, agreed with Huffmire's sentiment. She said it felt "very foreign" to fly as she didn't have as much control over her body and lamented that the harness is quite uncomfortable. Despite it being a lot harder than she expected, she found it fun to fly and said the audience loves how beautiful it is.

"I think for the audience, it's exciting that we actually fly in this instead of just making up steps to make it seem like we are flying," she said.

Jenna Rae Herrera, the other woman playing Wendy, said flying took time to get used to for her as well. But it gave her new perspective being so high up.

"Learning to navigate my body in the air, it goes against what you maybe naturally want to do. You don't have too much control; you are going wherever it leads you. It does the opposite of what you want to do so you have to be open to where it's taking you," she said. "It's so fun. I love it."

She explained how technical flying is with the dancers having to hit specific marks on the stage to ensure they get lifted straight up rather than swinging. But the flying really just adds to the story and is worth the extra work it took from all the dancers and crew.

"(Flying) really just tells that story because it is magical and a fairytale. I think it's such an incredible element that's just going to take people's breath away. Especially Peter's stuff, it is incredible. Just being part of the magic, it's so fun," she said.

Ballet West will be performing Trey McIntyre's "Peter Pan" through Saturday, Feb. 21. The show includes full choreographic sequences in the air, with flips, partner work and a pas de deux where Peter flies overhead while dancing with Wendy, who is on the stage below.

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