A woman with deranged eyes wildly streaks blood red paint down the bodies and white clothing of her two children. She grabs silver buckets, covers their heads and brings their bodies down to the ground.

The woman stops in horror and shock as she comes to some state of realization. She herself is covered with running red paint, but she slowly continues. She grabs with her mouth a red cloth and crawls on all four.

This is a dance, and it is one of the many things that take place in the world-renowned Paris Opera Ballet.

From the beginning of the documentary “La Danse - Le Ballet de l’Op�ra de Paris” what loudly stands out is not the resounding presence of a narration, but the silence from its complete absence throughout the entire duration of the film. This is a signature style that is carried throughout the other films by documentarian Frederick Wiseman, such as “State Legislature” and “The Garden.”

The lack of narration gives an illusion that the film sequences are sporadic and random, or without form. There is not even music to accompany the scenes, only those from the scenes themselves. However, by taking a silent position, Wiseman allows a more subtle yet powerful structure to take shape, creating a coherent flow throughout the film. This is done by periodically alternating dynamic scenes with those that are still.

For instance, the film opens with sequence shots of inanimate structures, such as those of Parisian buildings and the inside of the Paris Opera Ballet. The sound of live piano then signals the change of scene as dancers are shown warming up to the instruction of a man’s voice.

Without an established narration, Wiseman allows the audience to experience the Paris Opera Ballet in a different manner. The audience takes a passive position, becoming like wallflowers inside of the ballet company. This allows them to observe all that happens in one of the world’s best performance institutes, from tensions rising between instructor and dancer to the fabric dyeing of costumes.

In one scene, viewers are shown an eerie modern duet piece. The dance is composed of several complicated and contorted positioning of the two bodies. Fluid and rigid movements contrast throughout the piece along with limp and defiant gestures, contrasting the two dancers themselves. In the background plays a duet of a violin and cello, giving voice to the bodily dialogue.

What is peculiar is the bald man that follows them throughout the piece, observing them, imitating their gestures and making sounds as if he were commenting. When the piece ends, it becomes clear he is the instructor and this is a rehearsal, as the three go through specific sections of the dance.

Rather than observing a polished performance, viewers are able to partake intimately through this developing performance. Elements that make it a rehearsal are also what make the scene raw and bare. As the dancers break down parts of the piece with the instructor, the difficulty of these movements are revealed. This allows the viewers to have greater appreciation and connection to the performance.

The camerawork in this scene and along with several others in “La Danse” uses abstract shots with different angled mirrors in the rehearsal rooms. A lot of this is done to avoid the camera from being in the film, disrupting the intentional lack of narration. However, it helps at times with the overall coherence of the film.

One instance is a particular clip of a woman rehearsing, briefly runs through the movements of her dance. The camera then focuses on adjacent mirrors that fragment her face. It is left unclear why this seemingly superfluous scene was included.

In fact, later in the film the entire complete performance is shown. This woman is the dancer who violently splatters red paint on herself and the children.

Wiseman does this with other scenes, some being short and abstract while others are long and coherent rehearsals. Later in the film, an excerpt or entire polished performance is shown. This is another way Wiseman has instilled a sense of direction into film.

Overall, “La Danse” is an incredibly rewarding film to enjoy, as it provides an intricate glimpse of the inner works of the Paris Opera Ballet. However, because Wiseman’s style does not follow the conventional structure of development, climax and resolution, it can be a lethargic challenge to watch for those who are not inclined to the overall subject. The film’s beautiful flow that is maintained by individual scenes may be exactly what turns viewers away.

4 stars out of 5.