Ep 16. High-stakes Hip-Hop

In Find Me in Paris season 1 episode 16, titled High-stakes Hip-Hop, Lena's attempt to help Ines go through her dance exams turns into a socially charged dance battle. Ines has to pass her Dance exams, failure to do so would lead to her expulsion from the school. On the other hand, Lena wants to win a dance competition so she can attend her concert.

In their bid to help each other, Lena borrows Ines some of her Moves to study for her exams while Ines designs a new dance costume for Lena to wear to the competition. Lena's lead aspirations angered Adilya, who is a lead dancer in the ballet, and as a result, she and her friends Mia and Max launch into a powerful critique about Lena's decision, revealing the rift between the classical dancers and hip-hop dancers in the school.

The next scene shows the exams where the founder of the school, Mademoiselle Durand, is to judge the performances. Lena, who is still seething from Adilya's comments, delivers a hip-hop routine instead of the classical dance she had prepared. Surprisingly, her routine impresses Madmoiselle more than Ines's dance, and that result causes a stir among the students as rumors spread about the school's favoritism.

Later on, Lena and Ines proceed to the Hip-hop competition, which is a high-stakes event. Everything counts, from the costume, the music, to the dance moves itself. The winner of the competition will get a cash prize of $10,0000 which is enough to help Lena's band intends to use it to take the band to the next level. Lena and her dance crew have to compete with Adilya and her crew, who are also in the competition, in one of the most eagerly anticipated dance battles ever seen in the school.

Throughout the battle, the two crews fired their arsenal of slick moves, but Lena's hip-hop performance reigns supreme. Her performance garnered thunderous applause from the audience, including her competitors as they marvel at her ability to blend modern hip-hop and classical dance styles.

In the end, Lena's crew is declared the winner of the competition, and Lena took home the cash prize. Her victory cements her place in the school as a dancer and earns her some newfound respect for blending classical and modern dance styles.

Overall, the episode is an embodiment of cultural and class divisions, as the rivalry between the two genres of dance, hip hop, and classical shifts into an exhilarating display of artistic expression. It highlights how cultural differences and competition can be overcome through mutual respect and understanding as Lena's success demonstrates the possibility of overcoming prejudice in the worlds of art and the performing arts.