The Dance Class

Singer Jean-Baptiste Faure commissioned the scene and lent it to the Impressionist exhibition of 1876. Jules Perrot supervises an examination in an imagined rehearsal room. The old Opéra associated with the setting had recently been destroyed.

The older ballet master stands with a long staff. His supervision makes the scene one of training and professional assessment.

The nearest dancer appears from behind. The viewer seems positioned inside a working room among waiting pupils.

Open music rests on a stand at the lower left. Musical equipment recalls the collaborative work required for dance.

A tall mirror hangs on the rear wall. It belongs to a room equipped for observing bodily movement.

A dancer raises her arms farther inside. Her exercise contrasts with the relaxed positions of those waiting.

Degas studied gesture through painting, pastel, photography and sculpture. An imagined room let him combine observations into a planned composition. Ballet emerges through repetition, waiting and preparation for public performance.