Flesh and Bone

I rated this show based on how the first season of it made me feel.

There are people complaining that the show about ballet doesn't have enough ballet in it. How short-sighted of them.

This show is not about ballet. It is about its protagonist - Claire. Or Clementine, as she's passionately nicknamed by an eccentric supporting character.

This is a show about inner darkness, and Claire striving to find a way out of hers.

With its spectacular cinematography with a carefully muted color palette, with the rich, dramatic, beautiful soundtrack, the whole thing has this surreal, almost David Lynch-like feel to it, it is filled with pathos, emotion, drama.

We are shown scenery and people, but we are made to see feelings.

There's nudity in the show, but it is not just thrown in "because they could". It is clearly part of the vision. People's emotions get stripped raw, and sometimes, so do their bodies.

I don't like pretense. I snub my nose at "Sundance Festival winner" type films. I don't like long pointless stares, long shots of swaying grass, camera angles that linger too long for no discernible reason - that sort of thing.

This show can be on the surface mistaken for a pretentious one. It could've gone that way very easily. For example, a long ramble of aforementioned supporting character could've been seen as a pretentious scene-filler - but, the actor is exceptional, and, like in David Lynch's surrealism, it all makes a certain kind of emotional sense.

The soundtrack doesn't just clank in background to match the tone of a scene. Like the camera, the music here is an actor with a voice of its own.

It feels like a part of a deliberately painted picture. It's not what the characters say or do, but why they're driven to it.

All of the cast are picked perfectly, and they feel real. Claire does not seem like an actress playing a role. She's simply Claire. It's hard to believe that the actress wasn't already Claire before the filming even started.

This show transports you into another world. It is an emotional journey, a rich atmospheric drama. It makes you feel what the protagonist feels, if you let yourself open to it.

Compared to this work, "Black Swan" is a pretentious flash in the pan. There's something grand here at play.

Let it play.

There are very few shows that do something so rare that to capture it on camera is dazzling. This is one such show. In most shows acting is enough, and of course it's an art all in itself but nothing like this. This is a true ballet show where they don't fake the dancing. It's breathtaking in its complexity and a beautiful masterpiece when it all comes together.

The thing that makes this such a fantastic show besides the dancing is the story behind it. They incorporate a level of darkness which you almost never see on the screen. And when you do it's almost instantly fleeting. Not in this show though, they made it perfect. It's got such a resounding Janus feel to it, that it can be best described as daunting. Hat's off truly 10/10.

What a beautiful and breathtaking series ! Enjoyed every minute of it. The acting is superb. The story is so sad, yet so beautiful. The dancing is amazing. The story goes deep and I think one has to know a little bit of life to appreciate it. Sometimes life is not like Modern family, but about disrupted families. What I especially love about the story is that no one is really good or really bad. That 's why I like the role of Romeo so much, half an idiot, half a philosopher. He seems to be speaking nonsense but in fact he's great. Hope there will be a second season; there is a lot more to say about Claire and ABC. I feel this was just the beginning. Compliments, bravo!

Ballet is like an obsession. If Black Swan did teach us one thing then it clearly was that. And the show that ran for a season on Starz is clear in its intentions to be a somewhat spiritual successor or at least in the same ballpark. Having one of the dancers from that movie playing the main role here is a start. And Sarah Hay learned Ballet as a young girl, something you can tell by watching her move (though I'm not sure if you can tell more as the teacher/director and some others seem to be able to).

So with a limited knowledge of the art itself, I can say that it is riveting and it looks phenomenal. But the show also dares to explore darker themes and backstories of the characters. You may be able to guess the connections between them (or rather their relationship), but there will be surprises along the way.

If you don't mind complex characters, blood (sweat) and nudity (including lewd acts as some might proclaim), this is really interesting. The character journey is really something and while you can guess to a certain extend where this is heading, the performances make it more than worthwhile

People writing bad reviews based on their dance past may have a point, but might be viewing this from the wrong perspective. Yes the show is about a ballet company, but it tells a story, more than one actually and even if there are clichés in it, that's called dramatizing the story.

What is being told here could have used any background. Look at 'Mozard in the Jungle', that setting could have fit too. Yet, finally someone takes courage in making a beautiful show with ballet as background. Shouldn't you people be proud of that instead of pissing on it?

For me, I love ballet, but that's not only the reason why I'm watching and I never really leave reviews here, but reading from 'ex-dancers' I thought it felt unfair how the show was being reviewed. The acting is very good, esp. from the lead, the dancing imo is good enough to fool the audience and it's the whole vibe of the show (the way it's shot, the music) that sets a really pleasant tone to watch it. I am kinda sad there aren't more episodes, yet.

So, watch it, don't judge too soon and enjoy it. It's like reading a good book!