L'Opéra

I'm quite surprised there are so few reviews of this series. It's really entertaining, completely unpredictable and has a great cast. This is a production of international, timeless quality. It claims to be completely fictional but very obviously wants to show life behind the curtains in the opera business. I'm a professional musician myself, so I know some things about rehearsals and preparation before being in the spotlight. I also know a professional ballet dancer, which is the brother of a good friend of mine. I can say for sure that this series is realistic and that life as a ballet dancer can be like this. I'm also sure it can be completely different, depending of where you are, who directs and which group dynamics exist there - this is something I experienced with orchestras. A great, tense, dramatic and quite erotic production that at least I can't stop watching.

The ballet world has been overdone on screen so many times that there really isn't anything new a writer could show us.

But there are some good moments in this show. It follows Zoe, a down-on-her-luck principal dancer in her mid-30s who has younger dancers nipping at her heels. Then, there's Flora, the only Black dancer who is bullied during her first week and mistaken for the janitorial staff.

I'm not a professional dancer so I can't comment on whether or not the show is an accurate depiction of the dance world or not. Is there racism in ballet? Absolutely. Black dancers are rare and finding them at major companies, aside from Missy Copeland, is nearly impossible. Bullying, ageism, and sexism in dance? You bet.

The choreography is impressive considering that none of the cast members are professionally trained in ballet. The Swan Lake scenes were basically rewritten to account for their lack of professional training. The Paris scenery, as usual, looks magical.

The show had a few silly moments that I doubt happen in real life or at least not to that extent. Zoe somehow finds time for Tinder dates and binge drinking at nightclubs but can't show up on time for class. I seriously doubt that professional ballerinas have much time for a social life if they're spending more than 40 hours a week on stage or in class.

Anyone familiar with working in state/public institutions dealing with education, culture or science will recognize similarities described in this series. Problems of leading such institutions, how to achieve command over subordinates, how to secure support from superiors (ministries etc.), how to secure financing. Then - relations between employees, the older, the younger etc., the role of trade unions.

It is like a good documentary. It is good that love relations do not play an important role in the plot, but other types of human relations: working relations within an institution like a national theatre (ballet). I really enjoyed it, very interesting, sometimes very funny and ironic, very realistic.

I'll watch second seasons as soon as I can, and I hope there will be more seasons.

Dancing is quite good! I have danced ballet for years, I absolutely adore it, and the standards set by the show are high. Anyone who loves ballet or dances himself will probably enjoy the dance scenes. One can't help but appreciate that Labed studied dance too. The choreographies are very well done and executed impressively. The story itself is entertaining, sometimes a bit over the top perhaps. Most of the time I could not quite empathize with the dancers motifs. The visualization of intense fear, stressful schedules, competitiveness were all very realistic. Hierarchies, scheming in the background of all artistic endeavors, these are sad truths. The modernization vs. Conservation in ballet and racism within companies are big issues the series has taken on. According to the show, which I first watched unaware of the second season happening and the historical background of the Opera Garnier, it's entirely fictional. Yet, you can't help seeing the parallels in Millepied, Dupont, with the introduction of Martinez even. Similar characters definitely exist in the ballet world.