The Dance Class

About The Dance Class

If you have ever waited for your turn in class, this room may feel familiar.

Only one dancer is performing. The teacher, Jules Perrot, watches her closely. Everyone else has time to fidget. A girl fixes her costume. Another leans against the wall. Someone bites her nails. A little dog has wandered into the lesson and seems perfectly happy to stay.

Degas loved these in-between moments. Instead of arranging a row of perfect ballerinas, he filled the room with bent backs, tired legs, nervous hands, and minds that have begun to drift. The dancers form a loose curve through the room, while the sharply sloping floor makes the space feel busy and slightly off balance.

The rehearsal room itself was imagined from memories of the old Paris Opéra, which had already burned down. Degas rebuilt it as a place where practice looks much more human than performance.