Balon, Jean (EN)

Balon, Ballon, Jean, *20 February 1676, †1739, François’ son, French dancer, choreographer. Circa 1695, he became the first dancer at the Paris Opera, and in 1708, he debuted as a choreographer. As the most outstanding dancer in the times of Louis XIV, he composed dances for the royal court and the courts of French aristocrats. After the death of P.-Ch.-L. Beauchamp (1719) received the title “compositeur des ballets de Sa Majesté.”  He composed ballets both for the Paris Opera and for the court of Louis XV. As a dancer, he was distinguished by his acting talent and an exceptional lightness of jump; the name of the dance step, “pas balloonné,” comes from his surname. In 1712–21, arrangements of his dances were published in Recueils de danses.