Passepied

At the French court, the passepied was adopted around 1650 and functioned until the first half of the 18th century. Thanks to 3/8 metre, it resembles to a large extent both the arrangement and figures of the minuet, and uses some of its steps, only at a faster tempo. Its basic step is the pas de passepied, or pas de menuet à 3 movements; it also uses the steps balancé and contretemps with a triple jump. Partners dance holding hands, which forces them to perform particular figures in each other’s laps. Surviving original choreographies, such as Assepied de la Bourgogne or Passepied de Bretagne, illustrate characteristic figures in which partners move in parallel, usually with small, quick pas de passepied steps. In ballets and theatrical works, passepied were most often danced by figures of sailors, shepherds, and zephyrs.