Strength, Not Size: Rethinking Weight and Lightness in Ballet - More with Jean-Georges Noverre
In the world of ballet, weight has long been misunderstood. Audiences often equate a slender frame with lightness and assume that a larger dancer must be heavy on stage. But ballet is not about the number on a scale—it is about control, strength, and the illusion of effortlessness. As early as the 18th century, the influential ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre challenged this misconception in his book Letters on Dancing. On page 115, he writes that “it is a common failing to think that a man who is big and thick-set must be heavy: this principle is true as regards the actual weight of the body, but it is false in what concerns dancing, because lightness is born solely of the strength of the muscles. Every man who is only feebly aided by them will always ‘fall’ heavily.” His insight remains strikingly relevant today. Noverre’s words remind us that true lightness in ballet comes from muscular strength, coordination, and technique—not body size. A dancer who has developed strong, r...