pas de trois
noun
ˌpä-də-ˈtrwä 
-ˈtwä
-ˈtwä plural pas de trois ˌpä-də-ˈtrwä(z)
-ˈtwä(z)
: a dance or figure for three performers
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The costumes define groups of dancers in five eye-popping colors and the choreography includes a series of fanciful but athletic pas de trois, which is a dance with three people. 
San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2022 Dancer Damian Zamorano was a weekend highlight both in the role of Benno and as the male dancer in the opening pas de trois. Sean Erwin, sun-sentinel.com, 22 Feb. 2022 Ashley Murphy-Wilson, Ayano Kimura and Ariel Martinez sparkled in the first-act pas de trois. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 Director Edward Hall recently adapted the Coward classic for the screen, with Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, and Leslie Mann as the principal pas de trois, and Judi Dench as the frustrated spiritualist Madame Arcati. Christopher Barnard, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2021 Rewinding the clock, the researchers modeled the pas de trois over 3 billion years—and found that both the LMC and Sagittarius swooped close to the Milky Way, as recently as 50 million years ago. Adam Mann, Science | AAAS, 9 Oct. 2020 As Benno, Tigran Sargsyan brought his big, easy jumps to the Act 1 pas de trois, though the partnering wasn't yet effortless. Lewis Segal, latimes.com, 4 Mar. 2018 The screens proved a magnet for the dancers, particularly in a wonderful pas de trois for a couple and a screen. Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2018 The careful attention to musicality of all three dancers coupled with the bright red pointe shoes of the two women and the fuchsia accents on Ito’s red tunic made this pas de trois a visual delight. Sean Erwin, miamiherald, 18 Dec. 2017 See More
San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2022 Dancer Damian Zamorano was a weekend highlight both in the role of Benno and as the male dancer in the opening pas de trois. Sean Erwin, sun-sentinel.com, 22 Feb. 2022 Ashley Murphy-Wilson, Ayano Kimura and Ariel Martinez sparkled in the first-act pas de trois. Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 Director Edward Hall recently adapted the Coward classic for the screen, with Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, and Leslie Mann as the principal pas de trois, and Judi Dench as the frustrated spiritualist Madame Arcati. Christopher Barnard, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2021 Rewinding the clock, the researchers modeled the pas de trois over 3 billion years—and found that both the LMC and Sagittarius swooped close to the Milky Way, as recently as 50 million years ago. Adam Mann, Science | AAAS, 9 Oct. 2020 As Benno, Tigran Sargsyan brought his big, easy jumps to the Act 1 pas de trois, though the partnering wasn't yet effortless. Lewis Segal, latimes.com, 4 Mar. 2018 The screens proved a magnet for the dancers, particularly in a wonderful pas de trois for a couple and a screen. Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2018 The careful attention to musicality of all three dancers coupled with the bright red pointe shoes of the two women and the fuchsia accents on Ito’s red tunic made this pas de trois a visual delight. Sean Erwin, miamiherald, 18 Dec. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
French, literally, step for three
First Known Use
circa 1762, in the meaning defined above