“On Pointe” takes viewers behind the scenes of a season at New York City’s School of American Ballet (SAB), where the  competition is fierce and the pressure is on. A new trailer for the Disney+ docuseries sees dancers, ranging from eight to 18 years old, undergoing intense training at the preeminent ballet school in the U.S.

“Lots of children have the body but not the spirit for it. If they don’t have that, it’s not going to work,” we’re told. Though it’s described as “an unforgiving art form,” dancers also speak to “the sense of freedom” ballet offers them. “The dancing, the music, the costumes, the sets — I can’t live without it,” one student emphasizes.

“On Pointe” follows older dancers preparing for professional careers and younger students rehearsing and performing in New York City Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” onstage at Lincoln Center.

Directed by Larissa Bills (“Whoa! Sunday with Mo Rocca”), “On Pointe” begins streaming on Disney+ December 18.