(Photo by Christopher Klimek)
ORLANDO| Orlando Ballet is bringing the classic tale featuring Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys back to the Dr. Phillips Center’s Steinmetz Hall. The ballet company previously performed an abridged version of the production in 2021 due to pandemic protocol.
“That means this production contains more flying, dancing and more fairy dust than ever,” says Jorden Morris, artistic director for the Orlando Ballet.
Morris approached the production with the same courage, edge and enthusiasm the original story possesses, noting an abundance of flying and sword fighting throughout his rendition.
“Peter was happiest when he was taking risks and having adventures, which are my creative drivers,” Morris says. “His life was more than just a fairy tale about a wild young boy but was a way for J.M. Barrie to tell a story that is fundamentally about the importance of family — all told through a prism of whimsy and sparkle.”
Morris hopes to encapsulate all of the beloved elements of the traditional story while embedding the production with exciting flair. “Peter Pan” follows a sold-out run of the company’s popular production of “The Nutcracker.”
“There is so much thought and intention behind telling a story through dance and music with these classic tales that have been a part of everyone’s lives for decades,” Morris says. “Presenting a bright and fresh production while protecting and preserving the nature of these classics is why we are able to build new generations of audiences that will enjoy ballet and the performing arts for years to come.”
Morris’ commitment to authenticity and engaging balletic experiences is also evident through his creative choices for the show’s score. When designing the score, he curated a selection of music that was either written or performed by composers during the period when J.M. Barrie, the story’s original author, was writing his beloved story of a young boy who never wanted to grow up.
“Tying the author to the music that was being played and performed while he was writing the book wraps these characters in a world that they’re able to truthfully be telling the story from the people that really originated the recipe,” he says.
Morris is committed to cultivating an experience for his audience that accurately represents the beloved tale, which is evident in the show’s flying.
“There’s been lots of different recipes for ‘Peter Pan,’ so what I tend to do is go back to the genesis and where it started and then look at what fun and interesting things that we can do there. These [dancers], were talking about the flying in ‘Nutcracker,’ that’s all automated flying so it’s done by a computer, they take off exactly the same time,” says Morris. “In ‘Peter Pan,’ when they originally did the play in London, people were pulled on hemp ropes into the air and flown and it was really important to me in this version that we didn’t go automated, that we actually kept it the way it was first performed in London at the turn of the century.”
During rehearsal, Morris works closely with his dancers, honing in on every detail of the choreography. The dancers first give their performance, gracefully leaping around the iconic London bedroom scene with toy swords to various pieces from Montague Phillips Symphony in C. When they are concluded, Morris approaches with his notes, demonstrating his vision himself to the cast. He doesn’t just tell them what he wants them to do, he shows them.
“I admit, I love this ballet because I love Peter’s youthful perspective about life,” Morris says. “This is a particularly challenging production for our dancers but they thrive on the challenge so their joy of performing this story can be felt by everyone. That is the magic of telling stories through movement and music.”
The dancers capture the youthfulness and sense of adventure integral to the story of “Peter Pan.” They embrace the comedy essential to the tale while exploring deeper emotional themes between their characters. Morris explores those elements from Peter’s story of childhood and maturity down to the details of Tinkerbell’s explosive tantrums.
Collaboration has been essential to production for both Morris and the dancers. The company similarly embodies the nostalgia and excitement of the story in their interpretations.
“I think we’ve all watched it, from kids to now, so seeing that coming up on the rep for this season, I think we’re all really excited to get the opportunity to be a part of such a classic story,” says Maya Fazzari, one of the Tinkerbells for this production.
A benefit to working so closely with the choreographer is establishing the relationships between characters to facilitate a more accurate portrayal of the story, according to Nathan Rowell, one of the dancers who plays Peter Pan.
“I think he’s great with character interactions and making it light but still driving the story forward,” says Rowell. “With a story like this that’s so fun and has a lot of camp to it, it’s nice for the audience to have that relief because there are so many ballets that are intense and heavy, … so it’s nice to fly off to Neverland, forget about your troubles, leave them at the door of the theater and just watch something that’s fun.”
One of the more notable aspects of the story is Wendy’s relationship with her siblings and the exploration of familial bonds. Ellie Iannotti, one of the Wendys for this production, finds that to be a driving force in her own portrayal of the beloved character.
“I see a lot of myself in her character,” Iannotti says. “I have a younger sister in real life. In the beginning scenes of the ballet you see Wendy reading fairy tales to her younger siblings and keeping stories and make believe things alive longer than she would on her own for a younger sibling. I love acting those scenes out because I feel like I get to sort of relive how I did that when I was younger with my little sister.”
This production emphasizes a modern interpretation while paying extensive homage to the original story. A noteworthy difference in this version is changes made to Wendy’s choreography.
“There are a lot of moments where Wendy gets to do things in this ballet that a lot of the time only men get to do in ballet. We just did ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and all the men in that ballet get to do sword fighting and none of the women got to do any of that,” recalls Iannotti. “There’s a couple scenes where Wendy does get to pick up a sword and she gets to play-fight with Peter and she wins, so there’s just these little moments where women are given a little more power in Jorden’s version.”
To those intimidated by the idea of attending a ballet, Morris believes that this show could be your “entry-level” ballet, one that appeals to those appreciative of the original story and to those looking to introduce the tale to a new generation.
“These are the kinds of shows that I do to bridge the gap between really serious classical ballet and dance being a form of entertainment and emotional movement at the same time,” he says. “There’s an accessibility factor to it, don’t be afraid to come and see ‘Peter Pan’ … It’s the same story with all the wonderful sets and costumes and lights and flying and humor.”
Orlando Ballet’s production of “Peter Pan” runs at the Dr. Phillips Center’s Steinmetz Hall in Orlando Feb. 20-23. Tickets and performance details can be found at OrlandoBallet.org.
