character shown. He has escaped from jail and he initiates this dance with a ballerina after stripping himself of his own handicaps—revealing himself in his true athleticism and beauty. His act is done on live television and is an act of rebellion. The dance performed with the ballerina, who proves to be incredibly beautiful and agile once she removes her own handicaps, is itself awe-inspiring. It brings tears to the eyes of a society that is used to everything being “perfectly average.” This dance is significant not only because it is a rejection of the government and the overall society of the story, but also because it is a supreme example of everything theycould be as a society. Instead of restricting themselves, they could flourish, prosper, create, and amaze. Instead, with their current government, the people of the story simply exist. This dance gives insight into what their society could be—what their potential is as a people.

The language of the story, previously simple and concise, changes to reflect this potential. It is grand and expressive, rather than banal:

And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang!
Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well.
They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun.
They leaped like deer on the moon.
The studio ceiling was thirty feet high, but each leap brought the dancers nearer to it.
It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it.

The language in this passage is whimsical and over-the-top. It portrays actions that are unbelievable precisely to excite a sense of potential and possibility. With this dance, Harrison rejects the ideals of the government and promotes his own belief in the power of individuality and reaching one’s full potential, if only they would allow it.

Ballerinas represent everything the dystopian United States that Vonnegut depicts is trying to suppress: beauty, talent, grace, and excellence.

In this future, the idea of a ballerina has been made a mockery of. Ballerinas have to wear ugly masks so that their beauty doesn't upset anyone who might be less attractive. They have to wear weights so that they cannot properly leap or twirl. For example, the ballerina who is asked to read the news bulletin about Harrison Bergeron having escaped from jail must be, the story says, very pretty, because she is required to wear an exceptionally ugly mask. The large size of her handicapping bags signals that she must also be an undoubtedly strong and graceful dancer.

When Harrison bursts into the studio and rips the handicapping devices from a ballerina so that he can dance with her, we see her beauty, grace, talent, and excellence on full display, as well as Harrison's:

They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun.

They leaped like deer on the moon.

The ballerina shows her society for a moment what excellence looks like and how it can be a gift to the world. She symbolizes what her society could become if it would change its definition of equality and start behaving more rationally. Rather than insist on a leveling that lowers everyone to the same common denominator, her society could instead embrace equality of opportunity and allow the most talented to excel.

In Vonnegut's future America, the Constitution has been amended to create an equal society, where every citizen is completely equal in every facet of life. In order to achieve complete equality, talented individuals are forced to wear cumbersome, oppressive handicaps. The protagonist of the story, Harrison Bergeron, embodies every aspect of physical and mental perfection and is considered a threat to the government. After Harrison escapes from prison, he takes over a news station, declares himself Emperor of the United States, and dramatically throws off his cumbersome handicaps. He then says,

"I shall now select my Empress!...Let the first woman who dares rise to her feet claim her mate and her throne!" (Vonnegut, 4).

A ballerina then stands to her feet and approaches Harrison, who strips off her handicaps and the two characters gracefully jump thirty feet into the air, where they kiss the ceiling and each other.

Harrison and the ballerina's graceful dance in mid-air symbolically represents a celebration of independence, talent, and uniqueness. Their act of rebellion depicts the positive aspects of non-conformity and the liberty to express one's talent, beauty, and physical abilities. In a society determined to restrict citizens with talent in order to maintain equality, Harrison and the ballerina challenge the oppressive government policies by publicly displaying their natural talents in a beautiful, artistic manner.

The significance of the dance lies in its inherently subversive nature. This is a rigidly egalitarian society in which absolute equality is ruthlessly enforced by the government. Those deemed too intelligent, talented or good-looking are forced by the authorities to wear what are called "handicaps" in order to keep them down to the general level of mediocrity. Ballet dancers, for example, are forcibly weighed down and must wear masks when performing so that their natural beauty and gracefulness are concealed.

Harrison's dance with the ballerina—or "The Empress" as he calls her—takes place right after they've removed their handicaps. Now, at long last, they feel free, and in a burst of exuberance they fly to the ceiling before pausing in midair to kiss. The dance represents a bold challenge to the norms of this dystopian society. It is an unapologetic celebration of diversity and of humankind's many and varied talents, abilities, and aptitudes.