Degas is famous as a painter of ballet dancers, and the theme of the dance class or rehearsal was one of the preoccupations of his later career.
This study relates to several other drawings and paintings by Degas, including the Ballet Class in the Bhrle Collection, Zurich. The pose of the foreground dancer adjusting her slipper is repeated in numerous paintings and a sculpture. The use of a coarse canvas and the sketchy nature of the painting are typical of Degas later work.