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all other capitals envy: the urchin, the grisette and the rat. The rat is a theatre urchin who has all the faults of the street urchin, fewer good qualities, and like the latter is a product of the July
Revolution. Rat is what we, at the Paris Opera, call the young girls who are training to become dancers, and who appear in the crowd scenes, the backgrounds, the flights, the set pieces and other situations where their size can be excused by a limited view. The age of the rat varies from eight to fourteen or fifteen; a sixteen year-old rat is a very old rat, a horned rat, a white rat; this is as old as they ever get; at this age their studies are more or less finished, they have had a debut, danced a solo, their name has appeared in capitals on a poster; they have graduated as a 'tiger' and now become first, second, or third class ballerinas or member of the chorus, according to their merits or their patrons.
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Throughout the 21st century, the demands on corps dancers have changed, calling for them to be "more versatile and virtuosic as individuals" and causing them to "face more emotional and physical challenges than ever, amplified by heavy work schedules". They are typically among the lowest-paid members
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came from working-class backgrounds, and due to the power structures in place, they would have had financial and career incentive to submit to the affections and propositions of these subscribers. However, little surviving contemporary writing on the subject chronicles the experiences or perspectives
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The rat, despite its masculine name , is an eminently feminine creature. You will only find them at the Rue le
Peletier, at the Royal Academy of Music, or in the Rue Richer, at dance classes; they only exist there; you would search in vain anywhere else in the world. Paris possesses three things that
144:, it also serves as a vital stepping stone for younger, incoming dancers, where they learn about company life and the structure of classical ballets before possibly being promoted to perform as a soloist or principal.
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sets the mood, scene, and nuance of the ballet, builds connection and camaraderie among the members of a ballet company, and creates large stage pictures through ensemble movement an choreography.
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in his works, among them some of his most well-known. In total, approximately 1,500 of his paintings, monotypes, and drawings are dedicated to the ballet, as well as some sculpture.
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of the company, and often not guaranteed year-round employment. Despite the challenges, many corps dancers feel pride and connection with their positions in the
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The corps de ballet is to a dance troupe as the spine is to the body: It provides framework, support, context, and aesthetic form. -
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where dancers warmed up before performances also functioned as a kind of men's club, where wealthy male opera subscribers (
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works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage. Well-known uses of the
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finds its roots in French revolutionary choral festivities, themselves rooted in festivals from antiquity.
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put it, "people need to know that you can have a fabulous career and stay in the corps."
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made on the wooden floors of the rehearsal rooms may be likened to the skittering of
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is forming a "V" at the front of the stage. They are directing attention to the
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often included pupils, some as young as 14, affectionately known as
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for "body of the little dance") is the group of dancers who are not
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Macintosh, Fiona; et al. (19 September 2013). "17".
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themselves, often erring instead on the side of gossip.
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s snow scene and the Waltz of the
Flowers sequence.
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Technical Manual and
Dictionary of Classical Ballet
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310:In media
192:les rats
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148:History
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69:French
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300:corps
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1016:Tutu
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