These things are basically an open secret in Paris; you can find out just by asking around, or even without asking. You just need to show some financial power, and the theater manager will come and tentatively inquire if you have an interest in that area.
As for most ballet dancers who came from working-class families, they are well aware of the "unspoken rules" of the theater.
For these "little mice" (a derogatory term for ballet girls at the time), most ballet dancers remain at the bottom all their lives. Not everyone can be like Mary Taglioni, born into a dance family and having a father like the Swedish court dance master Carlo Tario.
If they want to become famous, the most realistic scenario is to be kept by a generous patron like Alexander Dumas. Although this fat man is fickle and indulgent, it must be said, he indeed lavishes great care and effort on the actresses he fancies.
