A pas de deux (French: 'step of two') is a dance performed by two people, typically a male and female dancer in classical ballet. The classical grand pas de deux follows a formal structure developed in 19th-century ballet: an opening adagio (slow section in which the male partner supports the ballerina through sustained poses and lifts), separate variations for each dancer (in which each performs a solo), and a concluding coda (in which both return together in a faster, more brilliant final section). The pas de deux is the dramatic and emotional heart of classical ballet. Petipa's pas de deux from Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker are their finest examples. In contemporary dance and modern ballet, the pas de deux has been reinvented endlessly — same-sex, non-hierarchical, confrontational, comedic.