Short

Shawn Barr keeps Julia and Olive even longer than the other featured performers to practice with the flying harnesses and the technical team, led by Gianni. Gianni fits them each for a harness, and the technical team nicknames Julia “Baby” to distinguish her from Olive. Julia adopts this nickname and grows more comfortable around Gianni and the crew. When Julia flies on the harness for the first time, the new perspective delights her: She is looking down at everything instead of looking up. When it’s Olive’s turn to fly, Julia realizes that though she and Olive are the same height, Olive’s arms and legs are proportionally shorter than Julia’s—a physical characteristic of many little people. As the rehearsal ends, Julia notices how quickly her attitude toward the play has shifted in the last few hours, from wanting to quit, to accepting being lead dancer, to becoming a flying monkey. Julia also reflects on how her size, rather than limiting her opportunities, made her a perfect candidate for both the Munchkin and the flying monkey roles.