AST MONTH, Fallon Voorheis-Mathews took the stage with her aerial dance company, “In the Wings” at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center at the Jewish Community Center to share “Embers, Petals, and Stars,” an aerial and dance performance. The first act, “Fire.Ashes.Rebirth,” is shaped by VoorheisMathews’ experience of losing her house and rebuilding after the Marshall Fire. “It’s for me, closure,” she said. “But it’s also for other people. I want those who went through this to feel seen. And I want those who didn’t, to understand how much this takes from you.” A LIFE IN MOTION Movement has been part of Voorheis-Mathews’ life for as long as she can remember. She started ballet at age 2, but it wasn’t love at first pointe shoe and tutu. “My mom put me into gymnastics when I was 3 because I was climbing over our first-floor balcony,” she said. Gymnastics became her focus until an injury at age 14 ended her competitive career. But she refused to quit because movement made Voorheis-Mathews feel whole. She begrudgingly returned to ballet. “I still hate ballet. But it’s one of those things, ballet makes you better at the other forms of dance,” she said. Voorheis-Mathews gravitated toward modern and jazz dance. The styles gave her more room to explore. She majored in theater and minored in dance at Mesa State in Grand Junction. When Voorheis-Mathews found aerial, her foundation in gymnastics and dance shaped her approach. “Having grown up doing gymnastics and dance, it’s kind of like the combination of both of those, and a lot easier on my body,” she said. “To get to use that [art form] to tell a story and bring the community together through art is something different and special to me.” Dance had long been a way for her to process experiences, connect with others, and feel fully herself. “The culture is lifting each other up,” she said. “It’s just pulling each other together. Aerial brought it all together.” “THERE’S A FIRE IN MARSHALL” Voorheis-Mathews was at a mountain cabin with her FALLON VOORHEIS-MATHEWS AND ASHLEY EAVES SONNIER BELIEVE AERIAL DANCE HELPS PROMOTE HEALING. | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN husband, Fleetwood Mathews, and their two dogs the day the Marshall Fire burned across Boulder County in 2021. Then, the texts started. “I got a text from my coworker that said, ‘Hey, is everything okay over there?’” Voorheis-Mathews said. “She didn’t know I wasn’t at home. A few minutes later, my husband came in and said, ‘There’s a fire in Marshall.’” At first, the two dismissed it. Grass fires weren’t uncommon. They flared up and were quickly put out. But this one wasn’t like the others. A downslope windstorm blew 100-mile-per-hour winds across the Boulder County foothills, pushing the fire quickly into neighborhoods the morning of December 30, 2021. Evacuation messages were sent to 35,000 residents within the fire’s path. Within hours, more than 1,000 homes burned, including VoorheisMathews. “We went from thinking it wasn’t a big deal to realizing just how bad it was, and how fast [it was moving],” she said. “From what we could piece together, our street was already on fire by 12:30 p.m.” They debated returning home to save what they could. By mid-afternoon, they knew it was too late. They stayed glued to the news while Mathews started a claim with the insurance company that afternoon. Meanwhile, their home smouldered. Late that night, Mathew’s mother drove to the house to see the damage firsthand and update the couple. “At 1 in the morning, she called and said it was all gone,” Voorheis-Mathews said. “We didn’t sleep. I started looking at house plans, ready to rebuild. I think both of us just jumped to the thought, ‘Let’s fix it.’” UP IN FLAMES The house Voorheis-Mathews and her husband lost to the fire wasn’t new, but it was theirs. Built decades earlier and recently renovated by the previous owners, it had quirks and features they wouldn’t have chosen, like a fish tank in the bar and a fireplace in the bathroom. But it checked the boxes that mattered. “My husband came across the property while working part-time as a realtor,” Voorheis-Mathews said. “We weren’t really looking for a house, but it was on an acre, and it had space.” The home had one special amenity that VoorheisMathews couldn’t pass up: a barn. For Voorheis-Mathews, the barn offered a private setting with a high ceiling where she could mount her aerial rig and rehearse. Voorheis-Mathews began aerial dance in 2010 after discovering a Groupon for a class at Frequent Flyers in Boulder. “I thought it would be a fun date. My boyfriend, now husband, and I went together,” Voorheis-Mathews said. By 2011, she was performing, and soon after, she began dancing with a professional company. What Voorheis-Mathews found in the aerial world was a different kind of culture than the performance and dance she grew up honing. Voorheis-Mathews also discovered a THE MARSHALL FIRE DESTOYED MORE THAN 1000 HOMES. | PHOTO COURTESY OF MALACHI BROOKS ON UNSPLASH community and a spirit that fueled her creative goals. “I feel like there’s a place for everybody in the circus, no matter what you look like, no matter what your shape is, no 10 DENVER VOICE September 2025
11 Publizr Home