We do sauts, assemblés, petites batteries all the time, all the time, all the time!” For Elisabeth Platel, a former POB étoile and current director of the school, “it’s an essential part of the training. But while all of these aspects represent a French dancer, petite batterie is indisputably the POBS’s signature. Elegance and strength are emphasized, as is the precision of the footwork. Trademarks of the style include the clarity of the épaulement and port de bras, which are slightly rounder than the Russian style, yet not as round as the Danish style. This mix is further colored by the influence of Rudolf Nureyev, who ran the POB from 1983 to 1989. The academy honors its 18th-century aristocratic origins-it was established in 1713 by Louis XIV-while also incorporating 19th-century Italian dance and 20th-century Russian technique. In all classes held on this sprawling campus, the French style is ever-present.

The campus features three distinct areas: the academic wing, complete with classrooms for study the dance wing, with its magnificent winding staircase and the dormitories, where students sleep two or three to a room. The vast complex, built in 1987, is nestled in a large park just a short train ride away from the center of Paris. Sound intense? This is just a normal day at the Paris Opéra Ballet School’s Nanterre campus, which includes 10 dance studios. Nureyev’s Raymonda, giving a relentless stream of corrections.

Carole Arbo, a retired POB étoile (“star” in French) and a former student of the school, is leading her senior students through the final steps of the variation d’étoile in Rudolf It’s a July afternoon, and the sun is streaming into the Serge Golovine studio at the Paris Opéra Ballet School. Breathe, smile, concentrate! Tighten your back-you won’t need as much power from your legs. “Don’t stiffen up, Victoire! Bend your legs.

Paris opera ballet building