I'd like to get some opinions about pas de deux in general.I started loving them only when I started studying them at the ballet school.Before I thought they were boring and the man was just an unuseful "lifter" and stop.When I then began studying the pas de deux technique I suppose I discovered a whole new and amazing world.Now I love them and I think they are one of the topic moments in a ballet,on which to quote the ability,both technical and interpretative,of dancers.Now,in my opinion,the most moving and beautiful pas de deux is the "white swan pas de deux".It really gives me a vast range of emotions...and what about You?Do You like PDDs?which one is your favourite and which are the ones you really can't stand?
I'm waiting for your answers;-)


P.S. I didn't know where to post this so if You want to move it to a more appropriate forum It's no problem.

This is a perfect place for this topic, dancerboy.

I, too, love pdds, and agree that White Swan is perhaps the most eloquent.

My all-purpose favorite, however, is probably Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Another favorite -- while not a complete entree-adagio-variation-variation-coda pdd (then, neither is White Swan), is from Sleeping Beauty's Vision Scene.

Hmmm, I hope my taste is more eclectic than this post suggests! Okay, a favorite non-Tchaikovsky pas would be the slow movement from Symphony in Three Movements -- Stravinsky. I find the choreography so witty and original, even with dancers who may not be either.

One of my favorite pdd's is the slow movement of Jerome Robbins's "In G Major," to the music of Ravel. It's almost like being in love.

I second the vote for Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux for a favorite all purpose ppd.

The one I particularly love, however, is the ppd from the 2nd act of Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream. It never fails to move me.

That's my favorite, too.

The duet for Titania and Oberon in Sir Frederick Ashton's The Dream is my favourite.

Another close runner is the grand pas from Act 3 of Sleeping Beauty


OK - Top 5: The Dream
Act 3 grand pas from Sleeping Beauty
Tchaikovsky pdd
Don Quixote pdd (because it is so kitsch)
Two Pigeons (final duet) - absolutely heartbreaking

I appreciate that my first and last choices are not conventionally structured pdd but they do it for me!

All of these are great, but I'd like to add:

Giselle Act 2 pdd (both of them) - in fact, the moment when Giselle touches Albrecht for the first time may be my favorite moment in the entire ballet. But the grand pas de deux when done well is always breathtaking. And this isn't really a pas de deux, but when dawn comes, the Wilis depart, and Giselle lifts the near-dead Albrecht up and then tells him that she must leave him forever never fails to get me.

La Bayadere - Shades pas de deux between Solor and Nikya

Symphony in C - movement 2

Bottom/Titania pas de deux

For classical grand pas de deux, it would have to be the tandem combination of White Swan/ Black Swan. Each stands alone beautifully (especially the first), but together they are enhanced by the contrasts and allusions between them.

Does this have to be about grands pas only? If we may also talk about male/female duets of other kinds, I'd also mention a few that I have sometimes fantasized dancing (if only I could dance ).

A few of these are fairly cheesey, I'm afraid, so pass on if you are a strict classiscist.

-- Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins)
-- Spartacus, his pdd with Phrygia (Grivgorovich)
-- The two contrasting pdd in Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Balanchine)
-- balcony pdd in MacMillan's (but not Lavrovsky's) Romeo and Juliet

I love the opportunities for passionate movement and acting given to males in these. I can't imagine fantasing myself as a Nutcracker or Diamonds Cavalier.

Two examples of male-female partnereing don't count as pdd's, since the man and women interact with other characters on the stage:
-- the parts of Giselle in which Albrecht is forced by the Wilis to dance to exhaustion, and Giselle tries to save him. This is the height of dance-as-love in all ballet, as far as I am concerned (Edited to add: canbelto was posting something similar, much more eloquently, at the same time I was typing.)
-- James and the Sylphide in La Syphide Act II (Bournonville)

I'm also with carbro on Symphony in 3 Movements -- and with several of you on the Titania/Oberon pdd in Balanchine MSN'sDream, which I prefer to Ashton's, perhaps because I saw this from the beginning.

I was one of those that mentioned Bananchine's MSN's Dream, but I didn't mean the Tatania/Oberon ppd. I meant the ppd in the 2nd act. I think it is divine.

Sorry, I just wanted to be clear.

They are not really pas de deux -- they're not long enough or developed enough, but I'm always gobsmacked by the three themes at the beginning of Balanchine's 4Ts. And then there's Sanguinic...

I agree, but I think one of the glories of that ballet is how often gestures and motifs from the first act pas -- Titania and her cavalier -- reappear, sometimes in more refined manner, in the second. Like the White and Black Swan, each resonates within the other.

Woops! I'm sorry. I meant the Titania/cavalier pdd. Maybe I typed "oberon" because I now live in Eddie Villella country. Thanks, vipa, for catching me on this.

Oh dear! I am being so unclear. I mean the ppd in the 2nd act that does not involve Titania. I don't know what to call it. Can someone help? It is a true gem.

It's usually called the "Act II Divertissement."

Thank you - that's what I meant.

Vipa, we both got a bit confused as to who is dancing, but we're talking about the same pdd. I keep forgetting that the couple are not part of the Act I plot line. Anyway, the music -- soft, flowing andante, following a light, sprightly allegro -- is lovely. The couple dances at first with others to the allegro music -- then the stage empties and they are given this slow, graceful, peaceful time alone with one another. Then the stage fills again, and our eyes are brought back the the happy court society.

Have you noticed that this thread is now on the new "Everything Else Ballet" forum. Great title! Though it is sad to see "Anything Goes" .... gone.

Oh well, bart, so i guess you're the only backing me up on the swan issue!. My all time favorite PDD , he,he.. the old "Black Swan PDD,(Mme.Alonso after Gorsky) for its choreography and plotline. Next, (and i think i will be the first to mention it, right?) the "Sugar Plum Fairy" (the Fokine/Mme.Fedorova version, specially when the Cavalier rocks the arched Sugar Plum Fairy like a pendulum, the back of her head almost sweeping the floor.) I just love it for sentimental reasons and beautiful music and choreography, and then, as we're expanding the concept a little bit, the "Waltz in C minor" from Chopiniana (Alonso after Fokine) just because i have to watch it at least once a week. I know, i know...i have a kitsh taste, some say...

Note: It's worthy to mention that my top three favorites are based totally in the choreographic fact. In other words, my choices would be different if these PDD are staged by different choreographers.

I don't think Chopiniana is kitschy--it's very beautiful.

My two favorite pas de deux are the grands pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. I also love the two pas de deux from "Kingdom of the Shades" in La Bayadère.

Thanks, Hans...

I'm not sure it counts as a pas de deux per se, but I do love second movement Symphony in C.

Count me in on "Titania and Cavalier" as well, and I'm also fond of the Apollo pas de deux between Apollo and Terpsichore.

(Yes, I do like choreographers besides Balanchine. )

perhaps for argument's sake, regarding Balanchine's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, a distinction could be between the pas de deux for Titania and her cavalier in the "bower" scene of act of Act 1, and the elegiac, almost mystical pas de deux for the unidentified ballerina/character and her cavalier at the center of the Act 2 'wedding' scene.
Titania (originally Melissa Hayden) is supernatural, a fairy queen, and thus somehow of earthly time and space; the second act ballerina (originally Violette Verdy) in the so-called 'divertissement pas de deux' is spiritual, in a way. (Balanchine mentions the Virgin Mary with reference to this scene in an interview w/ Jonathan Cott.)
i find the arbitrary assignment of giving this latter role to the Titania ballerina as going counter to what Balanchine envisioned for his DREAM. this nouveau decision is second only in disrespect of Balanchine's intentions to the notion that a company could give act 1 by itself and call the work Balanchine's MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. the ballet's intended second act is very much part of the first and should never be dropped or seen as only a divertissement.

Weren't the ballerinas originally supposed to be Adams (Titania) and Kent (Act II)? Very different from the dancers who actually premiered the roles.

I actually see the pdd in the Wedding Act as an idealized version of love after the misunderstandings and conflicts of Act I have been resolved. Titania does not abide in the world of mortals -- she and her world are ethereal, yet still imperfect. Yes, the Act II pas reaches beyond, but somehow I see it as extremely human. A paradox there.

Thank you for that, rg -- I'd never read it, but it makes sense. I've always heard/read what you wrote about the contrasts between the fairies, the mortals, and the spirituality of the final act pas. (I was taught that the fairies were earthbound, rather than ethereal, because they were Germanic fairies, to match the music.)

And I hope that all the company ADs who are promising to stage Act I only read your post!

I think carbro is correct about the intended cast, but I think with most choreographers, and perhaps especially Balanchine, it's the actual cast that matters.

That's so interesting. In a similar fashion, I have always thought of them (or Shakespeare's version, at least) as similar to the gods of Greek mythology -- timeless and above mankind, but still swept up in many of the petty passions that afflict humanity -- jealousy, pettiness, vindictiveness, mischievousness, and, very rarely, forgiveness.

My thoughts about this particular pdd: it comes across as a tribute to the way in which great art can let us glimpse the wonderful aloneness that people in love can share in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of life. The quick transition from the allegro court dancing to the empty space in which the couple move (andante) is one of the great theatrical movements in Balanchine --for me, at least.

This man and woman, whoever they are, with all great lovers the sense that time and space have dissolved -- leaving only themselves.

here's the GB quote to JC from PORTRAIT OF MR. B. p. 139:
"At on point, when I was choreographing [A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM], I said to myself: In the last act, I'll make a little entertainment and then a big vision of Mary standing in the sun, wrapped in the moon, with a crown of twelve stars obn her head and a red draon with seven heads and ten horns ... the Revelation of St. John.
JC: Why didn't you do it?
GB: Well, because then I thought that nobody would understand it, that people would think I was an idiot."
in the staging for PNB the design elements include a ring of stars on the backcloth during the pas de deux.

The ppd in Wheeldon's "After the Rain", particularly when it was danced with Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto. I cried everytime I saw it. Now that Jock has retired, I cannot envision anyone else doing it. I have seen it with others and it wasn't quite the same.

Printcess, After the Rain is a ballet many of us will not have had the opportunity to experience. What is it about this particular pdd that moves you so much? And this particular cast?

Hi Bart,
A lot of beautiful things come together during this ballet. The music, "Speigel im Speigel" by Arvo Part (umlaut over the a) is astonishing. It is very melancholy, beautiful and haunting. The lighting is soft and delicate. The costumes are almost skin color (the ppd couple) so you have a sense that you are seeing the dancer naked and raw and full of emotion. I have interpreted the ballet as couples coming together and breaking up, thus added to the sadness.

I have seen this ballet three times. Twice with Wendy and Jock. The final time was Jock's farewell performance, so perhaps I cried more. I couldn't breathe. The third time Wendy danced with Nikolaj Hubbe.

"After the Rain" can be considered a leotard ballet, without the hard angles. Wendy's body is very angular. When she danced with Jock, she softened.

There are a few other ballets that are ingrained in me with certain dancers: Peter Boal in Square Dance, Edward Villella in Tarantella, the original cost of Dancers at a Gathering, just to name a few. ABT's Swan Lake and Le Corsaire with Angel Corella comes to mind.

ooooo

White Swan Pdd. It's so etheral and...wonderful. Also, because it's so rare to have it done exactly as I imagine, I savor each one.

All Giselle Act II Pdds are good, but Fracci just made me fall in love with it. The way she...floats, I was in tears

Those are favorites of mine, too.

"Diamonds," "Diamonds," "Diamonds".........

Can this be a multiple choice question? hahaha

(Sad but true, my memory of lots of Balanchine pdd's is limited--mostly because so little chance to see them--except old videos or DiA b'casts--so what follows is mostly from other touring companys.)

Yes, of course White Swan and all aforementioned above Act2 Giselle. But, as I see more and more dancers (if not always partners) do them, I am becoming much more critical of HOW they are performed. (Case in point: Giselle. That double overhead lift can look very different depending on timing, placement, and chemistry of partners. As do the pique arabesque lifts in the 2nd pdd depending on the phrasing.) White Swan of course is all about phrasing and chemistry. And as a former dancer who rehearsed both White Swan and Giselle, but never got to perform them onstage, each step is still ingrained in this adagio dancer's muscle memory.

The thrill of Tchaikovsky pdd for me was when I immediately recognized the music as coming from SL. I do love that 'fish' with interlaced arms, the male variation, and the give-and-take between female & male parts in the coda.

Corsair only with certain dancers. Bayadere Act1's almost step-for-step re-do of other Petipa, and Shade scene for the epaulement/cambres

MacMillan's R&J balcony & bedroom pdds--but sometimes prefer bedroom pdd because less time and number of steps (not to mention running back & forth across stage) forces the dancers to concentrate more into a smaller space.
And though not a pdd exactly, I love these two in Manon: Party scene where she is being held aloft by the men (with poor Des Grieux following/pining below), and the seduction scene with Monsieur GM and her brother.

Neo-classical:
(Balanchine) Apollo & Terpsichore
(Forsyth) In the Middle... (love the speed, attack, and totally off-center moves)
(Taylor-Corbett) Great Galloping Gottschalk (Dying Poet) for sweet lyricism
Ditto Leaves are Fading for same, and phrasing.
Most Wheeldon--for geometric constructions which makes me wonder if/how he sees bodies in space before/during/while choreographing? After the Rain is interesting (I've seen it 3x with Wendy, but Jock had already retired)--but A LOT of the effect is due to the choice of music; somehow I NEVER get any lumps in my throat while watching it.
Conversation Piece by (Vancouver? Ballet)
Clear, because of the exquisite line & closure it brings to the whole piece
Symphony in C--only seen twice (sad but true again) so have to review exactly what
Theme & Variations

But my all time favorite (excepting White Swan/Giselle) was one my old company did to the Nimrod variation of Elgar's Enigma Variations. (The storyline was the basic romantic triangle & complications). It started so exquisitely slowly with a develope a la second downstage L into an arabesque penche, (like Giselle?), and then just built from there. You forgot to breathe during it. (Also liked the later pdd, when the erring husband seeks--and finds--forgiveness from his gentle stoic wife. Don't remember exact Enigma variation.)

Oh yeah, for pure kitsch: Arabian Dance from Nutcracker. (Musically though, my favorite is the Sugarplum/Cavalier pdd)

A couple of seasons ago, SFB performed Wheeldon's Quaternary. The third section, Summer, was a breathtaking pdd for Muriel Maffre (now retired, unfortunately) and Yuri Possokhov. I've only seen it the one time, but it left such an impression that it has just about supplanted all the old favorites.

Mine, too, and also because Tchaikovsky's music for it is one of the lushest numbers he ever wrote. I didn't get to see Mme. Alonso do it, but I did see her do a number of things in 1979 with Ballet Nacional. I dislike that this is missing from Nureyev's version from way back even more than all that bordello-like rouge. Also 3rd Act Grand Pas, Sleeping Beauty, and "Diamonds" with Farrell which you can still see on the tape.

All wonderful examples, and I'd especially reinforce White Swan and Symphony in C, and Agon pdd.... Agon is SO much about trust....

but I'd add some comic pdd -- Titania and the donkey is so incredibly sweet, and Tarantella -- if it's danced as a flirtation (as Mc Bride and Villella danced it), and not just a set of tricks -- is a fabulous thing.

Many of my favorites have been mentioned except for one, the two pas de deux from Balanchine's Chaconne. They are so different from each other! Dance Of The Blessed Spirits is dreamy and gentle, the second pas de deux is formal and decorative. It has has a sly, slightly cheeky wit to it, followed by the super fast variations for the man and woman which build to an extremely exciting finish.