Milwaukee Ballet to dance mid-air, fly to Neverland for 'Peter Pan'

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — What makes a performance special?

Is it the costumes? The actors? The set?

Or maybe it’s just the pure awe that comes when the curtains part and the spotlight dims.

And in the case of the Milwaukee Ballet’s 2023 performance of the classic “Peter Pan” — it’s all of the above.

The timeless tale centers around everyone’s favorite characters, from the sassy Tinkerbell to the villainous Captain Hook — and of course, the boy who doesn’t want to grow up.

“When you find out what makes a good Peter Pan, let us know,” joked Barry Molina, one of the two dancers who landed the lead role.

The Minnesota-native started dancing when he was only six years old, and joined the Milwaukee Ballet’s second company when he was 18.

As a member of that program for two years, Molina found himself in multiple roles.

Most memorable however, was when he was called in last minute to perform as Peter in a previous rendition of Peter Pan after the lead fell ill.

“It was a big thing right before the first performance on opening night, they threw me in,” Molina said. “I was the understudy and for me, that was the moment that I actually decided that I wanted to continue to pursue this as a career.”

In 2011, he was promoted into the ballet’s main company, where he’s since performed in a handful of roles such as Jack in Cinderella, Benno in Swan Lake, and the Bell Boy in Dracula.

Now year’s later, it’s a full circle moment for Molina.

“I’m able to perform the lead part in the ballet, in the production that kind of initiated my career,” Molina said.

His co-star, Marko Micov, had a different route that led him to end up in the Brew City.

Born in North Macedonia, Micov began dancing at the age of nine.

He moved to the United States in 2011 and danced in multiple cities before ultimately joining the Milwaukee Ballet company four years ago in 2019.

Although Micov was featured as Fritz in The Nutcracker and other performances, this is his first time playing a role like Peter.

“There is not many ballets created specifically for the male dancer, and this is the Peter Pan, so it’s kind of nice,” Micov said. “I always had a dream to become a professional ballet dancer and to be honest, in America it’s a little bit difficult to being a professional ballet company because there’s so much competition and so many requests. We get to renew every year, so you have to step up and be on your game all the time.”

But when you watch the two rehearse as Peter, it almost seems like everything else in the room fades away as the music swells and they leap into the air.

“I never thought I’d be here at this moment and doing this at this moment, but I try to absorb everything because I try to enjoy as much as I can,” Micov said.

The production team joined forces with ZFX Flying Effects, using wires and harnesses to hoist the dancers into mid-air during the performances.

“We on purpose make it look easy on stage but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t really internalize and understand,” Molina said. “Especially, I think at Milwaukee Ballet, we put a focus on the storytelling and being able to create these characters and bring them to life on stage.”

For the dancers, the ballet is “real theater” made possible by solid team efforts and some faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust.

“You know there’s always a stereotype about dancers? Especially male dancers because they wear tights?” Micov said. “They all should know that all superheroes wear tights, and they’re superheroes, so I think dancers are superheroes as well.”

You can see Peter Pan from May 11 through May 14.

To buy tickets, click here.