[5] The Ballet Class depicts a silver-haired teacher, Jules Perrot, at the center giving private lessons to young dancers in the Hôtel de Choiseul.

[7] The dancers' bare backs, chests, arms, legs, shoulder blades, and exposed cleavage all emphasize nudity.

[7] Lillian Schacherl claims that all of these details suggest that this painting was carefully calculated and created in Degas's studio based on preliminary sketches.

[7] The only people who remained from that era were the "ballet masters" Louis Mérante and Jules Perrot.

[7] Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall suggest that The Ballet Class painting was well underway before Jules Perrot was introduced as the focus.

[6] Perrot did not mind posing for Degas to capture his outfit, posture, and appearance as well as the shadow and light on his clothing.

[9] The velvety texture of Perrot's flannel suit and the precise red reflections on his face suggest the careful attention that Degas devoted to his subject during modeling sessions.

[5] Instead of focusing on a perfect performance, Degas tended toward Realism, providing intimate views into the lives of ballet dancers during rehearsal.

[5] Degas was fascinated with dancers on stage and behind the scenes, seeing the contrast between these spaces as a way to distinguish between real and artificial experiences.

[9] In the last phase of his career, Perrot privately coached principal ballerinas as depicted in The Ballet Class.