Ballerinas: Ballon

In ballet, ”ballon” (French for balloon) describes a dancer who appears to be floating in the air (or suspended in the air) while performing movements during a jump. It may seem as though the dancer effortlessly becomes airborne, floats in the air and lands softly. Dancers try to achieve ballon in large jumps as well as in small, quick jumps. Ballon can also be used to describe a dancer’s “bounce” before they jump.

Some characteristics of a dancer with good ballon are: “springy” (the dancer’s jump has a springy quality); “effortless” (the dancer appears to effortlessly become airborne and float in the air); “strength” (the dancer has enough strength to maintain their position in the air) and “quick muscle engagement” (the dancer is quick to engage their muscles). Beverly