Variation (ballet)

This article is about ballet terminology. For George Balanchine's ballet, see Variations (ballet).

File:Hinano Eto - Don Quichotte, Kitri - Prix de Lausanne 2010-4.jpg

Hinano Eto as Kitri in Don Quixote, Prix de Lausanne, 2010

In ballet, a variation (sometimes referred to as a pas seul, meaning to dance alone) is a solo dance. In a classical grand pas de deux, the ballerina and danseur each perform a variation.

Examples

• La Bayadère – Gamzatti, Nikiya
• Coppélia – Swanhilda
• Le Corsaire – Medora
• Diana and Acteon – Diana
• Don Quixote – Basilio, Kitri, Cupid
• The Nutcracker – Sugar Plum Fairy
• Sleeping Beauty – Bluebird
• Swan Lake – Odile (the Black Swan)