A BALL OF BALLOONS

dance performance for children 3+

Stretch, blow up, float, connect, and… smash! In BALBALLOONA, a new dance production by Keren Levi | NeverLike, three dancers meet on stage for the very first time. At first, the air is filled with shyness and uncertainty—until balloons are introduced, gradually transforming the atmosphere. The dancers are swapped into a playful celebration of movement and imagination with big, bright balloons. The balloons become both dance partners and bridges between dancers and audience. Through play, collision and collaboration, big themes like living together and embracing differences become tangible and light. BALBALLOONA is a playful journey of transformation and connection, and ultimately invites the audience to join in

INSPIRATIONS

A Tale of Five Balloons– A classic children’s book by Miriam Roth. Each child receives a different colored balloon, and one by one the balloons disappear—bursting or flying away. With each loss, an adult offers gentle comfort. The story tenderly introduces young children to the concepts of impermanence, disappointment, and emotional resilience.

D.W. Winnicott’s concept of the transitional object– An object (often a toy or blanket) that helps a child transition from dependence to independence, bridging inner emotional life and the external world. Central to the development of imagination, comfort, and self-regulation.

Color and emotion– Each balloon color in Balaballona carries its own emotional tone, influencing the dancers' movement and relationships: Pink (care), Red (love, friction), Yellow (joy), Blue (sadness), Green (balance), etc. These colors serve as emotional cues, “coloring” the dancers’ interactions and helping children connect emotionally and intuitively to abstract relational states.

Brown costumes – The dancers wear earthy brown, a color that symbolically contains all other colors. It represents inclusivity, neutrality, and the capacity to hold multiple emotional states—providing a visual grounding that allows the colored balloons and their meanings to take center stage.