10 Tips For Improving Your Pas de Deux Skills
A pas de deux can be one of the most mesmerizing parts of a ballet. But a lot goes into a beautiful duet—and getting tricky partnering right takes tons of practice and training.
Struggling with pas de deux? Jared Nelson, Associate Artistic Director of the California Ballet Company, gave us 10 tips that all dancers can benefit from.
Put Others First
When partnering, make the safety and comfort of your partner is a priority. “Always take care of your partner first, then yourself. A man’s tendu behind his ballerina can always wait until she is on her leg,” Nelson says.
Watch Your Timing
Paying close attention to your partner will help keep you in sync. “[You need to have] a true understanding of a person’s plie and matching them. Every person is different.
Increase Your Versatility
“The more versatile a dancer you are alone, the better an understanding you’ll have of how to put someone off balance, and then back on,” Nelson says.
Have Compassion
Recognize your partner’s—and your own—shortcomings, and be understanding about them. “Understand your partner’s ego and know when they’re having a bad day,” Nelson says. “There’s no time to waste on who’s right or wrong.”
Practice, Practice, Practice
This goes without saying, but practice is always essential. “Don’t limit yourself to partnering class,” Nelson says. “Grab someone during your free time and work on a pas de deux. Getting to know many different types of bodies will help you understand how to make everyone look good.”
Watch and Learn
Draw inspiration from older, more experienced dancers. “Ask for help and pointers, and truly open your eyes and see what works,” Nelson says. “Then the fun of making partnering look easy will come to you.”
Build Trust
Good partnering requires immense amounts of trust. “Trust is definitely earned, but when you develop that trust with someone, it’ll allow you to really go for it onstage,” Nelson says.
Let Your Muscles Do the Work
Building muscle mass will help you in all aspects of partnering. “Men, never stop doing push-ups. Women, you need to develop upper body strength as well, to push down as the man pushes up. With the demands of choreography in partnering nowadays, you never know what is going to be asked of you,” Nelson says.
Be Humble
Never let your ego stand in the way of a good partnership. “You can always learn from someone else,” Nelson says. “Don’t be the one who thinks they know it all. Partnering is about working together, not bossing your partner around.”
The Woman Is Always Right
Sorry, gents. “This is an old-school philosophy that I will always stick to, because it’s almost always true,” Nelson says.
