In a rehearsal studio, Principal Rehearsal Director Jane Wood stands before three dancers slated to perform the role of Wendy, two cast for the role and one cover. She's teaching them one of Wendy's solos, starting the way she always does with no music, just counts and movement.
"Try using your bodies more on this sequence of steps,” she tells them, her eyes watching every movement.
Welcome to the world of staging a three-act ballet with moving walls, shifting beds, and two very lifelike ships, which is no small feat.
“It’s a big ballet with lots of moving parts, literally, and dance-wise,” says Wood, who has been tasked with helping bring Trey McIntyre's production of Peter Pan to the stage
Learning to Fly
Wood has a unique perspective on this production, having performed the role of Wendy back in the 1990s with Ballet West, in a different version choreographed by Peter Anastos. While most dancers might feel nervous about being strapped into a harness and launched across the stage, Wood had a different reaction.
“I just wanted to get up there!” she stated. "The freedom of flying is the most amazing feeling. It's not the most comfortable thing to be in a harness, but I loved flying across the stage."
This production takes flying to another level though. In the version Wood performed, Wendy simply flew back and forth to travel across the stage. This time? There’s handholding, partnering, and whole assortment of choreography in the air.
As Wood tells the dancers working on Wendy's solo, they're getting "a more detailed, vibrant version than the one I did, with even more dancing for Wendy."
The complexity means more rehearsal time too. Back in 1993, Wood had a day to learn the flying. This production involves several full days with Flying by Foy, the same company that's been making dancers soar for decades.
When audiences watch Wendy fly through Neverland this February, they'll see magic in unexpected places. They won't see the hours of rehearsal, the technical precision, or Wood counting out each step. But that invisible work is what makes the magic possible. For Wood, who's been on both sides of the harness, that's exactly how it should be.