Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino created the new Prime Video show Étoile, which is based on the world of ballet and has a mix of comedy, drama and complicated dance moves. Their newest project is a fun and interesting look at the lives of professional ballet dancers in both New York City and Paris.
The show is about a rivalry between two well-known ballet companies, one in Paris and one in New York City. The artistic directors set up the exchange to try to bring new life to their institutions, which are having a hard time now that the pandemic is over and audiences are dropping. During the course of the show, viewers meet many characters—such as Lou de Laâge’s Cheyenne Toussaint, a talented and free-spirited prima ballerina from Paris who becomes an important part of the story.
As Étoile delves into the tough and competitive world of ballet—many fans want to know if Lou de Laâge, who plays a professional ballet dancer on screen, has actually danced ballet before. Does she really know how to dance ballet, or did she have to learn it just for the part?
Is Lou De Laâge a Real Ballet Dancer?
Childhood Ballet Lessons
Lou de Laâge revealed in interviews, including one at PaleyFest in early April, that she did not have a background in ballet before joining the Étoile cast. In fact, she admitted that she didn’t speak English fluently before joining the show, so learning the script, including the Palladinos’ famously fast-paced dialogue, was another challenge. However, when the role of Cheyenne came to her, De Laâge quickly realized she had a lot of ground to cover. Her past ballet training was far from the level of expertise needed for Étoile, and she had to relearn the art form from scratch.
But Lou de Laâge was determined to do the role justice, even though she hadn’t taken ballet classes. She told me it wasn’t easy, but she worked hard and practiced a lot. Ballet requires a lot of discipline, strength, and flexibility because the moves are so precise and the choreography is so hard. The actress said it wasn’t easy to learn all the complicated steps and techniques needed for the part. For de Laâge, it was all about doing things over and over again and remembering how to do them. The more she practiced the moves, the more she felt free to act, which helped her make the character come to life.
That ballet is both an artistic form and a metaphor for the characters’ emotional journeys is one of the most interesting things about Étoile. Cheyenne Toussaint is a ballerina who, despite how graceful and poised she seems, is having personal problems, such as the stress of her job and her complicated relationships with her coworkers. She finds that the physicality of ballet helps her deal with her problems and express her feelings.
How to Learn: From Nothing to a Prima Ballerina
Although Lou de Laâge had no prior ballet expertise before Étoile, she threw herself into the demanding training process. Because ballet requires a lot of control and precision, her training was very hard and she practiced for hours on end. A lot of the dance scenes in the show show off the skill and artistry of ballet, and Lou de Laâge worked closely with the choreographers to make sure her performance felt real.
The most impressive thing about her performance is that she didn’t just use stunt doubles or camera tricks to do the difficult ballet routines. Lou de Laâge did most of the dance sequences herself, which showed how dedicated she was to her job and to being as true to her character as possible.
Her co-star Taïs Vinolo, a former ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada and a graduate of the American Ballet Theatre School, praised Lou de Laâge’s commitment to the role. Vinolo, who plays Mishi Duplessis, another ballet dancer in the series, shared that the portrayal of the ballet world in Étoile is both accurate and truthful, and it’s clear that de Laâge’s efforts in learning ballet were a part of making this representation authentic.
IS ÉTOILE BASED ON A TRUE STORY?
The Real Ballet World: A Challenging but Rewarding Discipline
Ballet is a world that requires years of training and discipline, and it’s not something that can be mastered overnight. For those who dedicate themselves to the art, it becomes a way of life—much like how Cheyenne Toussaint’s character in Étoile lives and breathes ballet.
For Lou de Laâge, the learning process was not just about executing the moves but also about understanding the mindset of a ballerina. The rigorous physical training, the constant stretching, and the never-ending drive for perfection are all part of a ballet dancer’s routine. As de Laâge mentioned, the world of ballet is a “constant whirlwind” of movement, and she had to adapt to that lifestyle for her role.
In conclusion, Lou de Laâge may not have been a ballet dancer before Étoile, but her dedication to learning the craft and her commitment to portraying Cheyenne Toussaint as authentically as possible are commendable. Through hard work, repetition, and perseverance, she was able to capture the physicality and emotional depth required for the role of a professional ballerina. While Étoile presents a fictionalized and somewhat comedic take on the ballet world, Lou de Laâge’s performance adds an element of authenticity to the series that is truly impressive.
Visit tvacute.com again soon for more Étoile news, previews, and recaps.
Étoile: Nicholas’ Near-Death Experience—Does He Die?
