[dance music playing]
Mmm! You're so pretty, I hate you.
No, you love me.
You're drunk.
-I'm not drunk. [laughs] -Aww.
Shots! Let's do shots! Two.
[music distorts]
It's called a rose petal.
Wait. These shots are bad.
-[clinks] -Roomies forever.
No! Don't drink that. Don't drink it! [gasps]
[laughing]
-Oh, my God. -It's your turn to fly.
-No! [gags] -[cackling]
♪ Yeah! ♪
[gasps]
[exhales]
[sloshing]
So, what are we doing here?
I guess that depends.
How do you feel about… [sighs]
…kissing the scary foreign guy? [chuckles]
You're not so scary to me now.
Most here think otherwise.
Look. I have to tell you something.
June said she saw someone in a hoodie the night Cassie fell.
She did? Um… Uh, who?
She couldn't tell, but whoever it is was sneaking in from the roof
around the same time that cop found Cassie on the ground.
That might've been someone who saw it. That means there's hope.
Of course there's hope.
For all we know, she could wake up tomorrow.
I'm not thinking about tomorrow.
[cell phone ringing and vibrating]
I'm sorry.
It's the hospital.
Yes.
[laughing]
"In her return to City Works Ballet, Delia Whitlaw was a revelation!"
She's "luminous" in this one.
-"Dazzling" here. -[girl] Oh, Madame will love that.
-[chuckles] -Uh-oh. "Ms. Whitlaw's talent shone bright
despite Ramon Costa's efforts to diminish it."
[laughing]
Yeah, well, Madame will not love that.
It's like y'all want her to suffer.
Chill, we didn't write these.
"Costa's choreography never achieves liftoff."
-[chuckling] -Chance he'll take it out on us?
-About 112%. -[group laughing]
Shall we begin?
Have you seen Neveah today?
No, and psycho killer's not here either.
[Cassie] The tip of a pointe shoe is no bigger than a matchbook…
a tiny rectangle of satin and canvas.
To balance on a surface so small should be impossible.
[Nabil] What's going on in there? You have to tell me!
-I'm cleared. I'm on the list! Cassie! -[alert beeping]
[Cassie] But it's also required of every ballerina
in every dance company in the world.
They call me. Now they won't tell me anything.
Her parents are back in Wisconsin. I don't know what to do.
[Cassie] It takes years learning to perfectly stack your skull
and spine and pelvis
to make the impossible appear effortless.
Maybe that's the hardest balance of all.
[theme music playing]
[vocalizing]
If not for Delia, Mr. Costa's reviews would have been even worse.
Haven't read 'em yet. Cassie Shore blew a brain gasket this morning.
-Hi, darling. -What happened to Cassie?
Nothing to worry about. Your mother's due for a briefing with Madame.
-I need to talk to you. -Everything all right?
I'll catch up in a moment, Selena.
I'm so glad you're here!
Oh, why?
Did Ramon already strip you of your lead?
There's nothing more fragile than the male ego.
No, Mr. Costa's very happy.
And I'd like to keep it that way,
which is why I could use a few more painkillers.
[laughs] Absolutely not. Your little meltdown at Delia's premiere
is proof you can't handle adult medication.
I can get you in with my acupuncturist.
I don't need an acupuncturist!
I need my foot out of agony so I can do my job.
-Mr. Renfrew should take a look. -Leave the Wrench out of it.
You know, I'm just tense. Lots of new choreography.
Yes. Lunch next week.
Doctors said it was a seizure caused by sepsis.
They won't know the extent of the damage until, uh…
unless she wakes up.
I came here last night after rehearsal. I… [scoffs]
I didn't know what to say, so I read to her.
What if the last thing she hears is some stupid French detective novel?
You didn't make this happen, Nabil. It wasn't your fault.
We don't know whether she can hear in there.
I should be protecting her…
…not betraying her.
A petition to emancipate from your mother?
I already filed the paperwork, applied for jobs to support myself,
scheduled hearings so I won't miss a class--
A school answers to its pupils' parents.
The last thing we need
is to be seen wresting one of those students from her mother.
Hillary Thomas filed for emancipation here when she was just 14.
Miss Thomas was an extraordinary talent this school could not afford to lose.
You're…
proficient.
Certainly not exceptional enough
for ASB or its faculty to risk its reputation.
You're wrong.
I get better every day.
Even Mr. Brooks has noticed.
Plus… plus, I was this close to getting a lead in Ripper.
Madame, the faculty here have been June's de facto guardians for years now.
We should protect her dreams the same way we protect her body.
[clears throat] The mantis has entered the garden.
-What? -Mrs. Whitlaw has arrived.
I want this little contretemps wrapped quickly and quietly
before you bring the whole school down with you.
[Katrina] And again, we are in the throes of an epic conflagration.
[Monique] Terrible news about the Shore girl.
[Katrina] Ten to one that French boy has something to do with it.
What's up with you and Shane?
You've both been acting super sketch lately.
[sniffles] We're good.
How's your foot?
It's good too.
Just been doing some stretches and massaging it--
Hey, hot stuff! Looking good!
What did he say?
Motherfucker.
Hey! I'm an elite athlete. I work out eight hours a day
and could kick your early-onset-dad-bod ass without…
[chuckles] …breaking a sweat. You.
-It's like fate. -What are you, following her?
Hey, still got that flyer I gave you?
Show's tomorrow if you wanna see the dad bod in action.
-Back off! -What are you gonna do if I don't, huh?
Oren. Leave it. Come on. He learned his lesson.
How about you school me anyway? [scoffs]
-[Oren] What flyer? -[Bette] How would I know?
That dude's crazy.
We heard Cassie took a turn.
Thought it was time to send some good vibes.
That's funny. How you Americans show love.
Look. Cassie gave as good as she got.
Cassie was the best! And you hated her for it.
We've been her friends for years.
You were her boyfriend for three months.
You saw what you wanted to see.
[June] Hey. I heard about Cassie.
What's all this?
A guilt temple.
Made by the people too afraid to visit her in the hospital.
Don't get too close to the edge, June.
[June] What's going on?
Cassie had a seizure.
Is she gonna be okay?
Nobody knows.
I just-- I wish I was up here that night. I could've done something…
…or seen something.
I hear maybe you see something.
Please, June, why not tell what you saw?
Because!
The person I tell could be the person I saw.
June, that person was not me.
[sighs] Someone sneaking in from the roof.
Gray hoodie, red zipper.
They left down the fire escape.
No innocent person does that. Right?
[Shane] I can read Topher Brooks like a tabloid headline.
Should've seen it. He was totally moist over Costa getting creamed.
Wish I was there, but I was too busy messing things up with Nabil.
Don't you dare be crushing on him.
I'm not!
It's weird enough that I'm sleeping on his girlfriend's old pillow.
Maybe it's having an effect on your brain.
Or your body. Try standing still.
I guess he's a good guy.
I just don't really trust myself.
More like don't trust him. You don't wanna be his next victim.
Speaking of next victims…
Unlike somebody, the last thing I'm looking for right now is a boyfriend.
Ha, excuse me! Last guy was not my boyfriend.
-[Neveah] Mm-hmm. -Half-decent lay, maybe.
But more baggage than a bus full of strippers.
What the hell are these?
[woman] Concept boards for Ripper.
Mr. Costa dictated his vision in person.
Hold on. It's bad enough he wants to glorify a serial killer,
but this is how he does it?
These costumes are basically saying that these girls had it coming.
I'm not so sure about that.
I am. The guy's a sexist prick.
But you're not gonna win a pissing match with the choreographer.
You're not gonna be able to pee in that corset anyway.
Do you think he'll start with the pas or the group numbers?
I'll show you what I wanna start with.
I wanna be warmed up for my moment,
but if he starts with the ensemble, I don't wanna waste my energy.
-So relax and let me warm you up. -[exhales]
♪ I don't even know if you can handle it ♪
♪ All I know is you can have it ♪
And if he starts with the coda, I'm screwed no matter what.
Baby, come on! [exhales]
I'm sorry.
I thought this would clear my head, but Mr. Costa got in there first.
[Oren scoffs]
Why don't we get a jump on things in the studio?
I say we kill it in rehearsal
and come back here and finish what we started.
If that's what you want, that's what I get.
♪ I don't even know if you can handle it ♪
♪ All I know is you can have it… ♪
[groans]
[Bette] This one!
Burn! He is not gonna like that.
-[Neveah] Hey, there! -[Bette] He's totally loving Delia.
They always do.
Guaranteed, he's gonna hate it even worse.
[girls laughing]
If Mr. Costa sees what you're reading, you're fucking dead!
-[Ramon] What are you reading? -[students murmuring]
Um, just a new diet app. Gotta stay lean if we're gonna rock those lifts.
You and you. Center. Murder scene.
No. I want you in like a whore.
You need to ooze sexual interest.
Dare this man to have his way with you.
No! Throw her into the lift.
Where's the passion?
Dance like you want her.
She's the clay you'll carve into your vision.
This is crazy.
[Ramon] Stop.
I want a dragon, and you're giving me a golden retriever.
Sit!
Fetch.
Penché.
[sighs] Drunken cop! And…
Stop dance walking. Walk like a human. Just play the man and nothing more.
-[Oren] No, wait! Don't! -[Bette gasps]
[Ramon panting]
You have one job.
Dance your role without messing it up.
[Oren] I understand.
You understand I've been partnering ballerinas since before you were born.
You were also hurting her.
Is that right, Miss Whitlaw?
Was I hurting you?
No, sir.
[exhales] Go practice your walk.
Girls to the center, let's run the first ensemble.
Music and…
[classical music playing]
[Ramon] You're late!
All wrong!
Think sexy, boneless, lifeless in the eyes!
You got a problem?
No.
Except, you really think Jack the Ripper is the right story to be telling now,
especially after what just happened to a student here?
I do.
It seems like you don't.
I'm just saying, violence happens in real people's lives.
You don't seem to get that. Plus, you out here throwing Bette around?
I get it, though. I'd be mad too
if I'd just gotten my ass handed to me by every reviewer in Chicago.
-[Ramon grunts] -[gasps]
The problem isn't the material.
It isn't my partnering
or the shitty reviews in which you all no doubt took delight.
The problem is that you've been led to believe that your opinions,
your feelings, your dreams,
that they matter.
That ends now.
If you want my respect,
you'll have to earn it.
What the hell is wrong with you?
-Me? -Easy, Caleb. She has a point.
He can't keep treating us like that!
In here? Hell, yeah, he can.
Come on, girls. Let's clean up this segment and win him back tomorrow.
Who died and made you Costa?
Anybody else want the job?
All right then.
-Forget it, I'm out. -[scoffs]
[Bette] Come on, let's start from the rond de jambe.
And three, four, five, six, and seven, eight!
-[Monique] No one was hurt. -Tell that to the mirror.
You were a dancer, Madame.
You must have had a crazy choreographer or 12.
I dealt with what I was asked, and I made it look beautiful.
If Mr. Costa makes you so unhappy that you cannot do that with gratitude,
you're welcome to sit this one out.
So that's it?
Put up or shut up?
Your words, not mine.
[Cassie] Balance is an act of faith.
The masters talk about pulling up from the crown of the head
or rooting down into the earth.
♪ Every time I get comfortable ♪
♪ Why does something wind up telling me "I told you so"? ♪
[Cassie] But there is no magical thread connecting your head to the heavens.
Nothing beneath you but the unforgiving wood of a stage floor.
The trick is to fool yourself into believing you have roots
or that you can fly,
when all evidence says otherwise.
And if you believe hard enough…
…you just might do the impossible.
It's only family arbitration, right?
My mother makes her statement. I make mine.
The arbitrator has to see how ballet is, like, my whole life
and then emancipate me.
Unless she thinks ballet is stupid.
-But she wouldn't take the case, right? -June.
Just speak your truth.
That's all you've gotta do.
[sighs] Okay.
My parents immigrated to give us a better life,
but when I told them I was pregnant, it broke their hearts.
They insisted I give up my baby, disowned me when I refused.
Overnight, I had no one, except my baby girl.
So I raised her alone.
Put myself through business school,
made a name for myself in London, then Wall Street.
I worked hard to give June every advantage,
including the ballet classes that made her so happy.
Perhaps that love led me to indulge her longer than I should've.
But it's time to stop playing dress up in tutus
and get to preparatory school
where she'll learn the skills for a real job.
Ballet is a real job.
Not for you.
How can you expect to survive as a professional dancer
when you can't even secure a decent role in your school's show?
What parent wouldn't believe in their child?
You keep quiet.
-[Alan] I'm just saying-- -Please don't.
Ms. Park, continue.
She forgets that one day I'll be gone,
and she'll be alone as I was, fending for herself.
And I'll do whatever I need,
sacrifice whatever I need to make sure she'll be ready for that day.
Bette, that was genius, having the back row relevé on three.
Yeah, I mean, you're like Ramon.
Only I don't wanna kill myself when you talk to me.
[laughing]
[Esmé] Oh, my God, I was thinking the exact same thing.
[Neveah] Guys, listen up.
So I spoke with Madame DuBois, and it's our director's job to protect us.
But since she refuses to write up a code of conduct,
anything you ever thought was dangerous, crazy, or just unfair, write it down.
If they want us, new rules.
Come on, guys. If we don't do something, things will never change.
We're still bourrée-ing on pointe shoes that were invented in the 1800s.
-[girls giggling] -[Bette] If you want change…
go dance contemporary.
["You?" by Two Feet playing]
♪ You had a lot on your mind now ♪
♪ Your mind, it's true ♪
♪ So tell me the truth, was it me then? ♪
♪ Who needed you? You? ♪
[Ramon] I've been calling for hours.
I had interviews, for your piece.
I told anyone who would listen
that you are the genius behind my performance.
Well, here's to your effort to save my show.
It speaks for itself.
Well, no one is listening.
If the critics of Chicago are too stupid to realize that,
we can always go back to Paris.
-I can't go back to Paris. -Why not?
If I don't make Chicago work, the critics win.
The critics are idiots.
Dance for me.
♪ Who needed you? ♪
♪ Tear me to pieces ♪
♪ Why is the time so slow? ♪
♪ Don't got no reasons ♪
♪ Everything I don't know ♪
♪ Tell me you need it ♪
♪ Tell me to take it home ♪
♪ All that I'm thinking… ♪
[Ramon exhales]
[both panting]
-You smell like your sister. -[huffs]
[winces]
You mention Bette again, and I'll cut it off.
[Ramon grunts]
It's a survey. If you could just fill it out for me.
Thanks.
-[Nabil] Yes, I'm on the list… -[Neveah] It's a survey,
if you could fill that out for me. Thank you.
[Nabil] Yes, I'm on the approved contact list!
Yes!
Leave a message for the doctor.
-Thank you. -[cell phone beeps]
Passing out propaganda.
Torri's asleep in her vodka,
so if you wanna sneak in a puppy or a hot plate, now is the time.
Where's Caleb?
Too scared to kick me out. Too angry to do anything here but sleep.
Losing your father can really mess you up.
I don't need an education on what grief can do.
It's killing me.
[Neveah] You wanna talk about it?
Not with you.
I'm sorry.
I like it here.
It's the only room in this place where everything feels easy.
[Monique laughs]
And you're the one person here who would ever think that.
Not like every memory here was a good one.
Oh.
Your father.
That was a rough year for you.
And you're how I made it through.
You know…
…some folks are mighty irate about this new dance.
After Little Miss Stroyer riled them all up.
Should I be worried?
No.
End of the day, we always do what we're told.
Even if the girl does have a point.
Well, she doesn't see that hierarchy, history, rules…
…they all have a place in ballet.
Is us here part of that tradition?
Some might see it like that.
-'Twas always thus. -[scoffs]
You're talking about old guys…
…with pretty girls.
This is something different.
Something way better.
Orie… what are you doing in there?
Come on.
It's just me.
What the hell, man?
It's nothing.
You kidding me?
[Oren] Costa's an idiot.
-This is not about Costa. -[water running]
His phrasing's a mess.
And his casting?
He's got you and me ass backwards.
-What did you just say? -[water turns off]
I just want things to be back the way they used to be.
As in, me the funny little fairy, you always dancing the prince.
It's what works. For both of us.
Maybe this way works better.
You've had it good here a long time now, Oren.
It's time you learned to share.
Enjoy yourself.
[sniffles]
[stall door locks]
♪ Once he's in her hands You can borrow her skin ♪
♪ But you can't take her heart ♪
♪ Till you're laid in the grave ♪
♪ You will carry her mark… ♪ [vocalizes]
♪ She maps my skin like highway ♪
♪ She conquers me like countries ♪
♪ She plunders all my riches But she'd never leave me hungry ♪
♪ The motion of her sure hand Drowning like sailors ♪
♪ We gasp into the wet sand Where my trembling hands avail her ♪
♪ Her seal upon my heart and on my arm ♪
♪ The girl with a needle She makes her demands ♪
♪ And every man's helpless Once he's in her hands ♪
♪ You can borrow her skin But you can't take her heart ♪
♪ Till you're laid in the grave ♪
♪ You'll carry her mark ♪
[cheering]
-Wow. -I didn't think you'd show.
And I didn't think you'd be any good. Guess we both got a surprise.
That your girlfriend?
[chuckles] Oh, nah, she wishes.
Coffee? Something stronger?
Definitely something stronger.
Well, there's not much here. They got a few decent microbrews.
Actually, I was thinking something in pill form.
Maybe Vicodin or Oxy?
Oh. Yeah.
-I'm not sure we have that on tap. -[both chuckle]
Yeah, totally.
It's just, I have this injury, and it's kicking my ass, and…
…it just seemed like you might be able to help me out.
Help you out, as in get you drugs?
No.
Yes, I mean…
I'll pay you.
Oh, as in sell you drugs.
Well, I figured if you weren't the guy… maybe you know a guy?
[chuckles]
No, I… I'm the guy.
Got some stuff in my truck.
[mutters]
[Bette] I really, really appreciate this.
I wouldn't be asking if there was anywhere else I could go.
-[Matteo] On the house. -Thank you.
[spits]
Did you just give me breath mints?
I came to you for help!
Yeah. And you thought I was some kind of drug dealer!
Because what, you think I'm poor?
You don't have a clue, do you?
-God! -[mints clatter]
[scoffs, sighs]
-["Broken" by Patrick Watson playing] -♪ And it's not that you're not the one ♪
♪ And it's not that you're not the one ♪
♪ We all need a little peace ♪
♪ Do you feel a little broken? ♪
Not one signature. Costa's treating us like crap,
and everybody's too brainwashed or too scared to speak up and say so.
That's because they know once you stand up for yourself… [panting]
…you can never go back.
-[sobbing] -Your hearing.
Oh, God. How did it go?
[panting] Monique told me to keep it quiet.
Then my mom threatened to die and leave me all alone in the world, so…
…failure on all fronts.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe we are all brainwashed here.
I mean… [sobbing]
…this is probably the… [blubbers]
Sorry.
This is probably the last time I'll ever get to dance in this…
beautiful room, and… [gasps]
…if I divorce my only family member to stay, I'm…
Ugh. Who knows what any of us are capable of?
[sniffles, sighs]
♪ Do you feel a little broken? ♪
[laughing]
Mother, there's nothing left for me!
Darling, don't be dramatic.
I made you something extra special.
-Aha! -[gasps]
[Katrina] Bon appétit!
Mmm! My favorite!
-[both] Mmm! -What a fat little piglet!
Save room for dessert, Elizabeth.
[gasps]
[cackling]
No! No!
-No, stop! -I get the dark meat!
-She's mine! -Stop it!
No, Mama!
[Shane cackles] Yeah!
No, Mama, please! Help me! Help!
[gasps, panting]
-[classical music playing] -[Ramon] Arms softer.
That's a relevé, not a piqué.
You've seen a rond de jambe before, yes?
I said soft arms.
No! Movements more liquid.
I'm asking for broken dolls, you're giving me dying insects.
Was anyone paying attention?
Temps levé on six, not five!
-Stop! -[music stops]
Who is responsible for this shit?
[students panting]
-[gasps] -[Ramon] You. Answer me.
Her.
I thought if we practiced, we'd do justice to the choreography.
That was not my choreography.
I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to--
To what? Impersonate a choreographer?
Darling, you're barely a dancer.
Again.
Six, seven, eight!
Your little art project won't change a thing.
Ramon's an abuser.
And abusers push until someone gets hurt or worse.
If the rest of you won't help me, I'll stop him on my own.
I'll go to the board, the press.
I'll even call Children's Services if I have to.
Slow your roll, Norma Rae. I'm in.
-What? -We'll take Ramon down together.
Lucky for you, I know how.
Found this in the garbage a couple weeks back.
Might be enough to take down a god,
since you can bet the girl on his lap,
probably a student.
It is.
And I know who.
Your boyfriend's a predator and a cheat.
See the date?
Paris, this summer!
Ramon was cheating on you with Cassie.
You've been so kind to me, and I really hate to give you this news.
There is no news.
But your boyfriend was screwing a student!
You have power. Tell Monique to get rid of him.
And why would I do that?
Ramon just choreographed me to the best reviews of my career.
-We're partners. -You're crazy.
This is how it works, Bette.
For how long?
Till the ballet wraps? Till he finds his next girl?
The man needs to be stopped!
I need to get ready to perform tonight. You two can show yourselves out.
What just happened?
She thinks she's replaceable.
[Neveah] So…
So if she thinks that…
the rest of us have no hope.
No. We can still win this.
Come on.
[Bette] Gwen talks a big game, but she'll sign what I tell her
if she wants to keep mooching my physio tape.
If Esmé signs, Laura will sign too.
Plus, there's Oren who hates Ramon now, for sure.
And Shane will sign.
[scoffs] Who knows? Guy's a mess.
No, he's just going through it right now.
Broke it off with some dude he'd been hooking up with.
Shane was hooking up?
Said it was just a booty call, but seems pretty hurt about it.
Everybody's hiding something.
I'll catch you back at school.
Cool.
["Love in a Modern Age" by the Velveteins playing]
If you're looking for a gun or a kilo of coke, I'm fresh out.
Look, I thought you'd have drugs because you're a musician.
Okay? Not because you're…
…poor.
[scoffs]
Wow, that is one shitty apology.
Well, I'm in a shitty place right now.
We're doing this crazy-ass murder ballet,
and I actually fought to play its biggest victim.
The choreographer is my sister's older boyfriend.
Plus, I've got this injury
that could knock me out of the whole profession.
I'm literally breaking under pressure.
Wow.
I mean, it's a fractured metatarsal, not cancer.
Metatarsal's a bone in the toe--
Yeah, I know what a frickin' metatarsal is.
Busted one of mine on a demo with my uncle once.
Laid me up almost a month.
You're dancing on yours eight hours a day? [scoffs]
That's gotta suck balls.
[Bette] It really does.
So, yeah, I just wanted you to know I'm…
…I'm not a bad person.
[inhales] If you say so.
See ya.
With all due respect to my mother, I've practically raised myself.
I've been living at the ASB since I was 11.
I'm responsible for all my own homework, laundry, physical therapy.
[arbitrator] I've heard considerable detail about how you can be
on your own.
Tell me why you'd want to.
Ballet is my world.
I've devoted my life to it.
No sleepovers, no boyfriends, no weekends at home.
Which sounds like I'm giving something up, but I'm not.
[mom] And what have you got in return?
A chance to play some glorified piece of scenery.
I'd rather spend my whole career in the back row
than be some ice queen
who's forgotten what real passion feels like.
Ma'am, I will die if I don't dance, and I promise I'm stronger than I look.
This is my life, no one else's.
Please. Let me live it.
The guy has no boundaries.
If Cassie weren't in a coma, you could be damn sure she'd be telling us
how he was boning her all over Paris.
Costa did Cassie? You got no proof.
We've had a front row seat to worse.
If Mr. Costa won't clean up his act, he's gotta go.
And he's not the only one. This place is rampant with abuse.
[Esmé] If the rest of us complain,
there are a hundred other girls just waiting to take our spots.
That's what Costa wants us to think.
He loves it when we're at each other's throats.
What would you know? You've been at this school five minutes,
all because Cassie went and fell.
-[Neveah] Excuse me? -[June] Bette and Neveah are right.
We toss flowers and teddy bears on Cassie's shrine,
but how many of us are secretly glad that she's out of the way?
If we stood together this one time,
maybe we all wouldn't feel so alone.
I wouldn't mind getting rid of teachers that throw things.
Or the serial gropers?
Or the ones who catch you eating one teensy bite of cake, like, a year ago
and treat you like a whale the rest of your life.
[laughing]
And we start by confronting Mr. Costa in the one language he understands.
-Time to brainstorm! -How are we gonna do this?
♪ Words are like cages Follow my traces ♪
♪ Run from the hunter Kick off the races… ♪
[Cassie] When you're whipping out pirouettes,
the world goes by so fast, you can barely see it.
To find balance in that dizzying motion, you pick a spot to focus on.
A clock, a piece of tape, a crack in the wall.
In every studio, on every stage, the spot you choose becomes true north.
♪ Why oh! Why oh! ♪
[Cassie] It's a constant you count on every revolution
to make sure you don't fall.
♪ Queen of the jungle… ♪
[chattering, laughing]
[Cassie] The problem is that moment in every turn,
a fraction of a second when you have to let your spot go.
-[Shane laughs] Throw it! -[exclaiming]
-Oh! Ah! -[Oren] Airball!
I'm sorry, man.
[Cassie] You have to trust that when your head whips around,
you'll find it again.
Because if you lose your true north,
you'll never find your way back.
♪ Words are like cages Follow my traces ♪
♪ Run from the hunter Kick off the races ♪
♪ Words are like cages… ♪
[lock clicks]
♪ Run from the hunter… ♪
[Nabil] Hello, June.
Nabil, you scared me.
Recognize this?
Where did you find that?
The person you think pushed Cassie…
…this is what they wore, isn't it?
Say something.
If not to me, then to someone who can do something.
This is a message.
Someone is playing a game with us. You need to tell someone what this means.
I'm leaving, Nabil.
I'm nothing here.
Then you have nothing to lose.
[Ramon] Places.
Six, seven, eight.
[classical music playing]
Let's pay attention, shall we?
Six, seven, eight.
-[music stops] -You missed it. Where were you?
Ah.
[chuckles] So, trying a little coup, are we?
Show up the big, mean choreographer
by refusing to do the only thing you're good for.
Who's behind this?
Point made. Now dance.
Six, seven, eight.
[classical music playing]
[Ramon] ¡Coño! Estas niñas.
Keep your children in line, or I walk.
Ramon is right.
An angry mob of teenagers can't be steering the ship.
Today they defy a guest choreographer, and tomorrow it's anarchy.
We all agree that we need to nip this rebellion in the bud.
I don't.
This academy may have spent the last 60 years producing world-class dancers,
but it's not a factory.
We're raising human beings,
why not permit them a measure of self-determination?
This from a man who thinks piqué is a flavor of salsa.
My husband knows his stuff.
I know less about ballet than the rest of you,
but I've devoted my life to putting together
the bodies this place tears apart.
I know things about these kids they don't know about themselves,
and Ramon's methods are breaking parts of them
that won't be easily repaired.
Okay, so, if our goal and priority is our dancers' long-term success,
then yeah, cancel Ripper and showcase Sleeping Beauty as planned.
You know who else'll be sleeping? Your audience.
You wouldn't know a good ballet if it kicked you in the face.
Enough!
We can't put on a showcase without our girls.
You want Ripper? Make something worthy of them.
Why should I?
They're not worthy of me.
[Monique sighs]
["Downtown" by Naomi August playing on radio]
♪ My body's aching… ♪
-It's risky lifting without a spotter. -[grunts]
Safer…
…to rely…
on myself.
-Yeah, I heard about your breakup. -[grunts]
Must be rough.
Makes me glad Oren and I are still going strong.
You've seen how we can't keep our hands off each other.
I mean, the things we've done in your room.
-On your bed. -[grunts]
I gotcha.
After all, we're dance partners.
You and me, if we don't have trust…
…what do we have?
-[monitor beeping] -[man speaks indistinctly over PA]
The Secret Garden.
My mom used to read it to me when I was sick.
I think Cassie might like it.
I shouldn't have blamed you for what happened to her.
Or what happened between us.
-I was the one who cheated. -Nabil, it was one stupid kiss.
I know. I just…
I still love her.
And I'm sure she's still in there loving you right back.
"When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor
to live with her uncle,
everyone said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen."
"It was true too."
"She had a little, thin face and a little, thin body. Thin like…"
[mom] I ordered lobster, your favorite.
I gave up on bottom-feeders.
Well, then, I hope you'll rise to the deal I'm about to offer.
A deal?
Uh, you never cave. Unless you think you'll lose.
If you withdraw this petition for emancipation,
I'll let you stay for the rest of the year.
After all, tuition's already been paid.
What's the fine print?
An emancipated woman should be able to read it for herself.
So, if I don't do what you want, you won't be my mom anymore?
Isn't that what your parents did to you?
Difference is…
that when you're ready to come home,
my door will be open.
And I hope, for the sake of your future,
that day will come soon.
I'll see you in two years.
When I graduate. [sniffles]
[June sighs]
A dancer's reputation follows her.
From dance company to dance company, school to school.
So I don't dance your pervy ballet, and that goes on my permanent record?
You scuttled Ripper to spite me and ended your career before it began.
I'm sure there was a time
you could've made good on those kind of threats.
That's over now.
This here.
Your past means my future.
["Sound of Breaking" by Faunea playing]
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound of breaking ♪
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound… ♪
[snarling]
♪ I am the sound, I am the sound I am the sound of breaking ♪
♪ I am the sound, I am the sound I am the sound of breaking… ♪
Thought you gave me the kiss-off.
♪ The sound of breaking… ♪
[sighs] Just kept thinking about how much that toe of mine hurt
when I fractured it.
And you gotta dance on yours?
♪ Roadblock every path I'm choosing ♪
♪ No shock, it's me I've been fooling ♪
♪ I won't become numb, I'm refusing… ♪
It's Vicodin.
Left over from my brother's back surgery.
♪ I'm refusing… ♪
Hope it helps.
♪ I'm refusing… ♪
[Cassie] When you get up
on that matchbox-sized block of canvas and satin,
it's not just your body you're trying to balance,
it's your whole being.
Every loss, every regret,
every agonizing hour you've trained to make the impossible look effortless.
♪ I am the sound I am the sound of breaking ♪
♪ I am the sound, I am the sound… ♪
[Cassie] Every fear that if you lose focus for even one moment,
you'll be the next to fall.
♪ I'm trying to reach you I'm trying to reach you… ♪
[Cassie] And so you keep spinning, turning…
♪ I'm trying to reach you… ♪
…searching for that spot to guide you.
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound… ♪
[Cassie] Holding onto what you know.
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound of breaking ♪
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound… ♪
[Cassie] And praying you'll be able to find it again on the next revolution.
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound of breaking ♪
♪ Follow the sound, follow the sound Follow the sound ♪
♪ I am the sound, I am the sound I am the sound of breaking, I am ♪
[girl] Oh!
[girl clears throat]
You thought you'd seen the last of me.
But instead of retreating, I've reloaded.
I'll be crafting a new Ripper.
One approved by the school and inspired by you.
I've seen the destruction you're capable of.
How you ravage each other's hearts and bodies, and for what?
Validation of strangers.
A moment in the spotlight.
A dream of stardom.
The story ballet is gone.
There will be no leads, no characters.
Costumes and sets and sad, tiny messages all tossed into Lake Michigan.
Just a company of dancers, facing their own immeasurable darkness.
Because as I've come to see, you are all Jack.
Each of you will at some point embody our darkest impulses.
You'll each be the killer who seeks to destroy.
But how to show when a dancer turns victim
and a victim turns cold-blooded killer?
I've landed on a simple, yet powerful mantle
that each of you will wear
while acting out your darkest capacities.
And if teenage gossip is any indication,
you should all recognize it.
[students murmuring]
Don't worry.
I'll make sure it fits.
["Give It" by Betta Lemme playing]
♪ Give it ♪
-♪ Ahh! ♪ -♪ Give it ♪
♪ Give it ♪
♪ Même si ça fait mal, sois mon animal Sentiment brutal ♪
♪ Même si ça fait mal, sois mon animal Sentiment brutal, da-da ♪
♪ Même si ça fait mal, sois mon animal Sentiment brutal ♪
♪ Même si ça fait mal, sois mon animal Sentiment brutal, da-da ♪
-♪ Yeah, baby, give it ♪ -♪ Même si ça fait mal ♪
-♪ Give it ♪ -♪ Sois mon animal ♪
♪ Give it ♪
♪ I ask myself the same questions ♪
♪ I tell myself the same lies ♪
♪ The silver on your skin tastes like The movie in my mind's eye ♪
♪ I ask myself the same questions ♪
♪ I tell myself the same lies ♪
♪ The silver on your skin tastes like The movie in my mind's eye ♪