A ballet group has shared the secrets behind the stage, revealing exactly how they make it look like dancers are flying off the stage, and it's far from what most imagined.
Pre-professional youth ballet, Ballet Excel Ohio, shared a behind-the-scenes look at its show of Peter Pan just four days ago, gaining over 10 million views already.
Like with many shows, the Peter Pan performance features a scene in which Wendy Darling and her siblings follow Peter Pan in flying from their London window to Neverland.
Of course, the ballet dancers are unable to do that, but they are able to reciprocate the look for the audience, using a surprising technique. As shown in the viral video, the young dancers are lifted from a doorway in the backdrop by a man on a ladder, swinging them smoothly into the air.
According to a comment left by the dance company, the man in question is a father of one of the children, aka a "dance dad."
@balletexcelohio Peter Pan ✨magic✨ #bts #peterpan #flying #balletflex #behindthescenes #fyp
♬ GOOD TIME - Niko Moon
Peter Pan was the first to lead with the flying and the lift creates a sweeping motion, which from the front appears from the audience like he's lifted himself into the air with one possible cause: magic.
Pan was followed by John, Michael and Wendy Darling, as well as Tinkerbell. All three followed suit, appearing to "fly" off stage.
The question left on most viewers' lips was how it looks from the audience, and the dance company happily obliged, sharing footage taken from the seats. Surely enough, the mini dancers did appear like they were simply flying out of the window.
"It does for real look like they're flying out of the window tho," commented one impressed TikTok user.
@balletexcelohio Peter Pan #bts Part 2: Audience POV #theater #peterpan #neverland #flying
♬ original sound - balletexcelohio
For most, the lack of technicalities in the flying process came as a shock, with expectations of a much more complicated process.
"Me thinking it's high tech pulleys and wires with safety harnesses and soft landing pillows," imagined one viewer.
"I am just picturing that guy describing how he hurt his shoulder to his doctor," joked another. Ballet Excel Ohio however confirmed that the dad "said it wasn't that bad."
This video certainly isn't the first to grace TikTok with secrets of the stage. In August 2021, a New Jersey theater company shared the truth behind the magic in its Matilda performance, similarly racking up views in the millions.
Performer Caleb Duffy of the Music Mountain Theatre shared a clip of fellow performer Emily Cobb manually working the "magic" of Matilda. As Matilda used magic to move objects on a table, Cobb sat behind the table, spinning the cup with a wooden stick underneath.
To the audience, who can't see Cobb, the cup appeared to be moving by itself.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
