Ballerinas: A Ballerina Body

The average height of an American ballerina is about 5’2″ to 5’8″ with weight ideally ranging from 85 to 130 lbs. The ideal body type of a ballerina might be considered to be a small head, long neck, a shortish to medium length torso, long arms, long legs, high insteps and a slender figure. The height requirements of the ballerinas are usually designated by the ballet company hiring though, and many ballet companies today still only hire female dancers of heights around the traditional measurement of 5’5″.

Having a high arch is beneficial for a ballerina because it makes it possible to get to a high demi-pointe in soft ballet shoes. Some dancers refer to perfect ballet feet as “banana feet” since the curved arch and instep somewhat resemble the shape of a banana. Whatever a ballerina’s feet may look like though, they are all susceptible to a number of injuries to the shins, ankles and feet from dancing on pointe. Beverly