ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, ''pas de trois'' is a French term usually referring to a dance between three people. Typically, a ''pas de trois'' in ballet consists of five parts: #Entrée (the opening number for the three dancers, usually preceded by a short introduction) # Variation (or solo) for the 1st dancer #Variation for the 2nd dancer #Variation for the 3rd dancer #Coda (a finale usually set to music of a quick tempo in which the dancers bring the piece to a spectacular finish) Today, the most celebrated ''pas de trois'' in the

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

repertory are derived from the works of the great choreographer

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

. Although the balletmaster created many ''pas de trois'' for the near 150 ballets he created throughout his career in Russia, only three survive: the ''Pas de trois des Odalisques'' from his revival of the ballet ''

Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

'' (set to the music of

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...

and

Cesare Pugni Cesare Pugni (; ; 31 May 1802, in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. He studied composition with Bonifazio Asioli and violin with Alessandro Rolla. In his early career he composed operas, symph ...

, choreographed for three women); the ''Paquita Pas de trois'' added to his 1881 revival of the ballet '' Paquita'' (set to the music of Ludwig Minkus and

Eduard Deldevez Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. History Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Follo ...

, sometimes referred to as the ''Golden Pas de trois'' or ''Minkus Pas de trois'', and choreographed for two women and one man); and the ''Pas de trois'' from the first act of his 1895 revival of the ballet ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'' (choreographed for two women and one man). Typically, Petipa fashioned the ''Entrée'' of a ''pas de trois'' in such a way so that the dancer who performs the first variation exits the stage about three-quarters of the way through in order to rest and prepare for their solo.

References

{{Ballet Ballet terminology

See also

References