It’s the magic of ballet: dancers look graceful when they leap and twirl — their bodies poetic — as if they float without effort.

But the apparent ease of movement is a cruel illusion, and dancers must pay the price.

This week, when Atlanta Ballet takes the stage for “Don Quixote” at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, they will have suffered the usual muscles strains and joint pains, out-of-alignment spines and broken toes, upper back spasms and pinched nerves. During performance weeks, the ballet keeps on call a chiropractor, a physical therapist, a podiatrist and an orthopedic physician.

“Audiences generally see what’s supposed to be perfection on stage,”said Mark MacKillop, 22, an apprentice with the ballet. “People don’t think about the sweaty hard work and injuries.”