Double Balancer vs Double Spinning Balancer: Which One to Buy (or Give)

The Double Balancer and the Double Spinning Balancer are the same two-foot spring board, with one difference: the Double Spinning Balancer adds a spin you can lock or unlock for turn work. If your dancer needs balance, ankle strength and core control, the Double Balancer does that job from $329 CAD, against $499 CAD for the spinning model. If turns are what they are working on, and they already stand steadily on springs, the spinning model is worth the extra.

This guide sets the two side by side: what is identical, what the spin really adds, the price gap in every edition, and which dancer each board suits. It also covers the dancers who should buy neither.

The Short Answer

Double Balancer vs Double Spinning Balancer at a Glance

Prices are the starting price in Canadian dollars, without resistance bands, checked 23 October 2026.

Read the table from the top and the pattern is clear. Every row about what the board is made of, and how it moves under the feet, is the same. The only rows that change are the spin, the number of modes and the price. That means the decision is not "which board is better". It is "will this dancer use a spin often enough to pay for it".

A simple way to answer that: ask what the dancer's teacher keeps correcting. If the notes are about wobbling on relevé, sitting in the hip, or ankles that roll, that is balance work, and the Double Balancer covers it. If the notes are about falling out of a double, losing the axis halfway round, or turnout that disappears in a turn, the spin starts to earn its place.

Locked, the Double Spinning Balancer is a full two-foot spring board, so the extra money is not lost on a dancer who spends most sessions on balance work. It is lost if the spin never gets unlocked.

First, the Names: Why These Two Get Mixed Up

Part of the confusion is the naming. On the Bellenae site, the clear model is called The Bellenae Balancer, while its other editions are called the Double Balancer: Black Smoke Double Balancer, Cami x Bellenae Double Balancer, BODYTECH x Bellenae Double Balancer. "Double" here means two foot platforms, not a spin. They are all the same board.

The spinning version is always called the Double Spinning Balancer, in every edition. So the easy rule is: if "Spinning" is not in the name, it does not spin.

The black boards cause the most mix-ups. The Black Smoke Double Balancer and the Black Smoke Double Spinning Balancer look alike in photos, both in dark acrylic with coloured mats. One spins and one does not, and the price gap between them is the same as in the clear editions. Before you check out, read the product name in the cart.

The Black Smoke Double Balancer: two platforms on springs, black acrylic, no spin.

What Is Exactly the Same on Both

Strip away the spin and the two boards are built the same way. Both product pages describe:

• Two platforms on three professional-grade springs. The dancer stands with one foot on each platform, and the springs move in every direction, so the ankles, legs, hips and core work together to keep the body level.
• A base you can flip. Turn the board over and the flat base, with its own non-slip mat, becomes a raised platform for steady two-foot drills: relevé holds, pliés and standing work.
• Crystal-clear acrylic on the standard model, with non-slip yoga-mat surfaces on the platforms, in a choice of mat colours.
• Up to 500 lbs, so a parent can use the board too.
• Resistance bands as an add-on.
• Handmade to order in Ontario, shipping in 3–9 business days.

Both pages describe the board for intermediate to advanced dancers. That matters for the decision. Neither is a beginner's board, so choosing the cheaper one does not mean choosing an easier one. With the spin locked, a dancer standing on either board has the same work to do.

The Double Balancer in the clear edition, with sage-green mats.

What the Spin Adds, and What It Doesn't

The Double Spinning Balancer adds a spinning mechanism that you can lock or release. That gives it three modes:

• Locked: a standard two-foot spring balance board. Every Double Balancer exercise works here.
• Unlocked: the board adds rotation, so the dancer has to stay balanced on springs while controlling a turn. This is where pirouette preparation, sustained turnout, hip rotation and promenade work happen.
• Flipped: the same raised flat base as the Double Balancer.

Balancing on springs is hard. Balancing on springs while the surface turns under you is harder, because the core has to resist both at once. For a dancer whose turns fall apart through lack of control rather than lack of courage, that combination is the point of the board.

What the spin does not do is replace turning on the floor. A board turns more easily than a studio floor, so the timing and effort are different. Use the spin to drill control, axis and turnout, then take the turn back to the studio. Our comparison of turn boards, spinning boards and spinning balance boards explains that limit in more detail, and the 15 drills in locked, spinning and flipped mode show what a week on the board can look like.

The Double Spinning Balancer with pink mats and the resistance-band add-on.

The Price Gap in Every Edition

Both boards come in several editions, and each edition has a matching version of the other board. The gap is the same in every edition: the spinning model costs $170 more without bands, or $200 more with bands.

All prices CAD, checked 23 October 2026. "No spin" is the Double Balancer, "Spinning" the Double Spinning Balancer. The lower price is without resistance bands, the higher one includes them.

So pick the board first, then the look. Edition changes the colour and the price by $30 CAD at most; it does not change how the board trains. If you are torn between editions of the spinning model, our Double Spinning Balancer editions guide compares all five.

Who Should Buy the Double Spinning Balancer

The spinning model is the right call when most of these are true:

• The dancer takes ballet, jazz or competitive technique classes where turns are marked and corrected.
• They already hold a steady relevé and a balanced passé on the floor.
• Their teacher's notes are about turns: axis, spotting, turnout in the turn, finishing cleanly.
• The board will live at home and be used several times a week, not once a month.
• You would rather buy once than upgrade in a year.

If the dancer is a strong intermediate who is starting doubles, the spinning model gives them room to grow, because locked mode covers the balance work they still need. If they already have a Double Balancer and use it often, the spinning model is the logical next board, not a replacement for the one they have.

Who it is not for: a dancer who has never trained on springs, a recreational dancer who takes one class a week, and anyone who wants the board mainly for ankle rehab or general fitness. In each case the spin adds cost without adding use.

Who Should Buy the Double Balancer

The Double Balancer is the better buy when the problem is stability rather than rotation. Choose it when:

• The dancer wobbles on relevé, sinks into a hip, or rolls an ankle when tired.
• They have outgrown single-foot work on a Mini and want two-foot training.
• The board will be shared in the family: a gymnast, a figure skater or a parent can use it as well as the dancer.
• Budget matters and turns are not the main goal this year.

It trains the same balance, ankle, hip and core work as the spinning model in locked mode, and flips over for raised two-foot drills.

Who it is not for: a dancer whose main goal is pirouettes. They are likely to want the spin before long, and buying twice costs more than buying the spinning model once.

Buying One as a Gift

If the board is a gift from a parent or grandparent, a few practical points:

• Ask about the goal, not the board. "What does your teacher keep telling you to fix?" usually answers the spin question without spoiling the gift.
• Check the level. Both boards are made for intermediate to advanced dancers. For a young dancer building first balance skills, the 10" Mini is the entry point the product page describes.
• Bands are worth adding if the dancer does strength work at home. They add $40 CAD on the Double Balancer and $70 CAD on the spinning model.
• Order with time to spare. Every board is handmade to order and ships in 3–9 business days, plus delivery time, so leave a margin before a holiday.
• Colour is personal. If you are unsure, a neutral mat colour is hard to get wrong.

When Neither Board Is the Right One

Some dancers are better served by a different Bellenae board. Briefly:

• Younger or newer dancers: the Bellenae Mini, a single-foot spring board from $219 CAD, in 10" and 12" sizes. It fits in a dance bag.
• One-foot turn work: the Single Spinning Balancer, from $319 CAD. It is the Mini with a lockable spin, so it trains single-leg balance and turns on one foot.
• Spotting practice only: a flat 10" or 12" spinning board, from $199 CAD. It has no springs, so it trains the feel of a turn, not balance.

You can see every spinning option side by side in the spinning balance boards collection, and the non-spinning boards in the balance boards collection.

Handcrafted in Canada by five sisters who danced their entire lives.

The Bottom Line

The Double Balancer and the Double Spinning Balancer train balance the same way. The spin is the only difference, and in every edition it adds the same amount to the price. Buy the spin for a dancer who is working on turns and will unlock it most weeks. Buy the Double Balancer for a dancer who needs steadier balance, stronger ankles and a stronger core, or for a board the whole family will share. Then choose the edition you like the look of.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the Double Balancer and the Double Spinning Balancer?

They are the same two-foot spring balance board with one difference: the Double Spinning Balancer has a spin you can lock or unlock. Both have two platforms on three professional-grade springs, a base you can flip over for raised two-foot drills, a 500 lb capacity and the same acrylic build. The Double Balancer has two modes (springs up and flipped). The spinning model has three (locked, spinning and flipped). Locked, it trains exactly like the Double Balancer. In the clear edition it is $329 CAD against $499 CAD, and the gap is the same in every edition.

Is the Double Spinning Balancer worth the extra money?

It is for a dancer who is working on turns and will unlock the spin most weeks. Spinning while balancing on springs makes the core control rotation and instability at the same time, which is useful for pirouette preparation, turnout and promenade. It is not worth it for a dancer whose goal is steadier balance or stronger ankles, or for a recreational dancer taking one class a week. In those cases the Double Balancer does the same balance work from $329 CAD.

Is the Bellenae Balancer the same as the Double Balancer?

Yes. The clear model is called The Bellenae Balancer, and its other editions are named Double Balancer: Black Smoke, Cami x Bellenae and BODYTECH x Bellenae. Double means the board has two foot platforms. It does not mean it spins. The Marble edition is called the Marble Bellenae Balancer. All of them are the same two-foot spring board. A simple rule when shopping: if the word Spinning is not in the product name, the board does not spin.

Can you use the Double Spinning Balancer without spinning?

Yes. Lock the spinning mechanism and it works as a standard two-foot spring balance board, so every Double Balancer exercise works on it: relevé holds, pliés, single-leg balances and core work. You can also flip it over to use the flat base for raised two-foot drills. That is the main argument for the spinning model: the dancer can do balance work now and add turn work when ready, without buying a second board later.

Which board should I give a younger dancer?

Usually neither. Both the Double Balancer and the Double Spinning Balancer are made for intermediate to advanced dancers. For a younger dancer building first balance skills, the Bellenae Mini 10 inch is the entry point: a single-foot spring board from $219 CAD that fits in a dance bag. A dancer can move to a two-foot board once single-foot work on the Mini feels easy. If the young dancer only wants to practise spotting, a flat spinning board from $199 CAD is enough.

The Bellenae Collection

The Bellenae Balancer

From $329 CAD

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The Bellenae Mini

From $219 CAD

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Double Spinning Balancer

From $499 CAD

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