Your knee-jerk reaction to the words “ballet drama” may be to avert your eyes, but like Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, upcoming Starz series Flesh and Bone promises to deliver on some very dark aspects of the world of ballet. The first trailer for the series definitely doesn’t play down that comparison, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the series likely hopes to draw a similar audience — especially with the help of acclaimed Australian director David Michod.

The first trailer for Flesh and Bone arrives via Fresh Fiction, and offers a glimpse into the highly dramatic and intense world of ballet. Like Black Swan, the series also incorporates a fiercely demanding male instructor and the ingestion of that ol’ club drug standard, ecstasy. Additionally, the series stars Sarah Hay, who appeared in Black Swan. But the comparisons may likely end there.

Flesh and Bone comes from three-time Emmy-winning Breaking Bad writer/producer Moira Walley-Beckett and director David Michod. The director made his debut with the gritty crime drama Animal Kingdom, and also directed last year’s The Rover. The creative marriage of Walley-Beckett and Michod is pleasantly surprising, but watching the Flesh and Bone trailer, it seems like an ideal match. Michod’s direction should bring a certain level of prestige to the original programming over at Starz.

The drama follows a young dancer with a distinctly troubled past as she joins a prestigious ballet company in New York. The dark, gritty, complex series unflinchingly explores New York City through the eyes of Claire, played by Sarah Hay (BLACK SWAN), an emotionally wounded but transcendent ballerina navigating the dysfunction and glamor of the ballet world. Claire’s self-destructive tendencies amid her vaulting ambitions drive her in compelling, unforeseeable ways, especially when she is confronted with the machinations of the company’s mercurial Artistic Director, played by Ben Daniels (HOUSE OF CARDS) and an unwelcome visitor from her past.

Flesh and Bone will debut on Starz on November 6.

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