The Dance Class

Degas spent years observing rehearsals at the Paris Opéra. This composition captures a group of dancers and attendants in an informal moment between practice, adjusting clothing, stretching, or losing focus. At the center stands the ballet master Jules Perrot with his cane, directing attention amid the scattered and restless figures. The work reflects Degas’s interest in movement, discipline, and the reality behind performance rather than its idealized image.