Quebecer Sarah-Maude Laliberté has carved out a place for herself in the corps de ballet of the American series Tiny Pretty Things, Netflix’s most recent hit, already translated into 80 languages.
“It was such an impressive experience,” blows the 24-year-old ballerina.
It was after an audition in Toronto two years ago that Sarah-Maude Laliberté became the only Quebecer to join the cast of Tiny Pretty Things. Her role is silent, but she is present – and clearly visible – in all large-scale dance numbers.
This adaptation of the novel by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton invites the telephones to a prestigious American ballet school. But we quickly discover that, behind the doors of the establishment, reality is far from being embroidered with tulle and sequins: a mysterious accident has placed the principal dancer of the troupe in a deep coma.
The universe depicted on the screen fits somewhere between those of the series Pretty Little Liars and film Center Stage. In short, shenanigans, betrayals, misconduct and illicit acts are commonplace in Tiny Pretty Things.
A little-known universe
Certainly, the reality portrayed on screen is romanticized and exaggerated for entertainment purposes. That, Sarah-Maude Laliberté recognizes. But the fiction is still close to the daily life of several ballerinas, and this, in many ways.
“It’s a TV show, it must be entertaining. So violent or extreme stuff like in Tiny Pretty Things, it is not something that I have experienced. But competition, there is a lot. The choreographers are demanding. And the sacrifices that the dancers have to make are very real, ”said the graduate of the École supérieure de ballet du Québec.
She also hopes that the success of Tiny Pretty Things, launched barely a month ago, will make the general public realize all the work behind a performance of Nutcracker, for example.
“Ballet is a world that is not so well known to people. When they see us on stage, our job is to pretend it’s easy. But it is not always. We are athletes as much as artists. And that requires a lot, a lot of discipline and sacrifice, ”she says.
And while a second season is not yet confirmed, it is rumored that the characters of Tiny Pretty Things put on their ballet slippers again soon for other adventures.
Considering herself “quite certain” that her services would be retained again, Sarah-Maude Laliberté admits to praying to see her wish for a new series of adventures granted.
► Series Tiny Pretty Things is now available on Netflix.
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