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Étoile Series-Premiere Recap: Dancer Swap
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s latest series gleefully dives into the world of professional ballet without shying away from the harsh economic realities.
Prime Video’s Étoile, created by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel team of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, explores the professional ballet world from a variety of different angles, but this short scene in the dance studio illuminates its most visceral ideas: the tension between the freedom of artistic expression and the discipline needed to hone a craft; the ways that authority figures can diminish individuality in pursuit of institutional goals; and how the pressures of running an arts organization can take down its leaders. When Cheyenne finds out about being traded to MBT, she storms Geneviève’s office, reeking from her time at sea, a great touch that makes every person have a strong physical reaction to her presence, reinforcing the abrasive aura that Lou de Laâge radiates in her performance. Cheyenne’s political views put her in direct conflict with the funder of this entire project: “soil-raper” Crispin Shamblee (Simon Callow), an egomaniac who believes that funding art is his way of righting the litany of wrongs he has committed to gain his wealth.
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