Pas de deux (dressage)

A pas de deux is an equestrian performance using two horses. The horses perform dressage movements, usually mirroring each other, and almost always accompanied by music. Pas de deux are often performed in exhibitions at special events, and are also used by professional acts, particularly the Spanish Riding School.

Semantics

"Pas de deux" means "steps of two" in French. The term is also used in ballet to mean a dance with two people.

In Exhibition

Pas de deux are often seen at exhibitions. For special events, they are often performed by two riders who compete alone, and choose to choreograph a piece to challenge their ability to harmonize with another horse-and-rider pair. Pas de deux are also used by professional equestrian acts, such as the Spanish Riding School and Cavalia.

In Competition

Both the USDF and British Dressage allow pas de deux in competitions. They are scored similarly to musical kur, also known as freestyle dressage. The choreography must include the elements required at the level that the pair chooses to do. The performance is judged based on the choreography and how well it is performed by each horse-and-rider pair, as well as on the suitability of the music and harmony between the pairs. Pas de deux performed in competition tend to be more conservative in music and turnout than those performed at exhibitions.

Pas de deux

In ballet, a pas de deux [pɑ d(ə) dø] (French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ballets, including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Giselle. It is most often performed by a male and a female (a danseur and a ballerina) though there are exceptions, such as in the film White Nights, in which a pas de deux is performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines.

Grand pas de deux

A grand pas de deux is a structured pas de deux that typically has five parts, consisting of an entrée (introduction), an adagio, two variations (a solo for each dancer), and a coda (conclusion). It is effectively a suite of dances that share a common theme, often symbolic of a love story or the partnership inherent in love, with the dancers portraying expressions of affectionate feelings and thoughts between romantic partners. It is often considered to be the pièce de résistance and bravura highlight of a ballet and is usually performed by a leading pair of principal dancers.

Pas de deux (film)

Pas de deux (released as Duo in the United States) is a 1968 short dance film by Norman McLaren, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

The film was photographed on high contrast stock, with optical, step-and-repeat printing, for a sensuous and almost stroboscopic appearance. It shows a ballerina (Margaret Mercier) dancing by herself (or rather, with images of herself), before being joined by a male dancer (Vincent Warren), to perform the pas de deux of the title, as choreographed by Ludmilla Chiriaeff.

The film is choreographed to Romanian pan pipe music.

Awards

Pas de deux received 17 awards, including the 1969 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and an Academy Award nomination, as Duo.

References

External links

Pas de deux (disambiguation)

Pas de deux is a ballet duet in which steps are performed together.

Pas de deux may also refer to:

In ballet:

In other uses: