Magical performing arts, which originated in Italy in the 16th century, have come a long way and by now have become popular throughout the world. Numerous ballet schools and theater troupes, whose numbers increase every year, are both classical and modern.

But if there are dozens of famous show ballets, and, in fact, they differ from other dance ensembles only in the level of skill, then national ballet theaters with a centuries-old history can be counted on one hand.

Russian Ballet: Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters

You and I have something to be proud of, because Russian ballet is one of the best in the world. “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, the famous plastic ballets that appeared in our country at the beginning of the 20th century, made Russia the second homeland of this art and provided our theaters with an endless stream of grateful spectators from all over the world.

Nowadays, troupes of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters compete for the title of the best, whose skills are improving day by day. Both troupes select dancers from among the students of the St. Petersburg Vaganova Academy, and from the first days of training, all its students dream of one day performing a solo part on the main stage of the country.

French Ballet: Grand Opera

The cradle of world ballet, whose attitude towards performances has been unchanged for three centuries, and where only classical academic dance exists, and everything else is regarded as a crime against art, is the ultimate dream for all dancers in the world.

Every year its composition is replenished with only three dancers who have passed more selections, competitions and tests than even astronauts could dream of. Tickets to the Paris Opera are not cheap, and only the wealthiest art connoisseurs can afford them, but the hall is full during every performance, since in addition to the French themselves, all Europeans come here who dream of admiring classical ballet.

United States: American Ballet Theater

Made famous by the release of Black Swan, American Ballet Theater was founded by a soloist at the Russian Bolshoi Theatre.

Having its own school, the ballet does not hire dancers from outside and has a distinctive Russian-American style. The productions combine classic themes, such as the famous “Nutcracker,” and new dance styles. Many ballet connoisseurs claim that ABT has forgotten about the canons, but the popularity of this theater is growing every year.

UK: Birmingham Royal Ballet

Supervised by the Queen herself, the London Ballet has a small number of dancers, but is distinguished by the strict selection of participants and repertoire. You won't find modern trends or genre deviations here. Perhaps this is why, unable to withstand the harsh traditions, many young stars of this ballet leave it and begin to create their own troupes.

It is not easy to get to a performance of the Royal Ballet; only the most famous and richest people in the world are awarded this opportunity, but once every three months, charity evenings with open admission are organized here.

Austrian Ballet: Vienna Opera

The history of the Vienna Opera goes back one and a half centuries, and all this time Russian dancers have remained the first soloists of the troupe. Known for its annual balls, which were held only during World War II, the Vienna Opera is Austria's most visited attraction. People come here both to admire talented dancers and to look at their compatriots on stage and speak their native language with pride.

It is very easy to get tickets here: thanks to the huge hall and the absence of resellers, you can do this on the day of the ballet, with the only exception being the days of premieres and the opening of the season.

So, if you want to see classical ballet performed by the most talented dancers, go to one of these theaters and enjoy the ancient art.

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The most famous ballets in the world

Ballet is rightfully considered the pinnacle of world theatrical and choreographic art. In it, the magic of movement carries not just the aesthetics of the human body, but tells a specific story. Without a single word, the dancers convey to the viewer the thoughts and feelings of their characters; behind each pirouette and step there is a certain action or meaning. Over the years of the existence of this art, a great many wonderful productions have been created that deserve special attention. And yet there are famous ballets that have entered the history of world culture for centuries.

Swan Lake. When it comes to classical Russian ballet, this is the performance that comes to mind first. First staged in 1877 on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, over time it became known not only to lovers of classical choreography, but also to people far from it. Few people have never heard individual compositions from this performance, in particular “Dance of the Little Swans” or “Waltz”. This ballet was staged by choreographer Vaclav Resinger, and the music for it was written by the great Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Subsequently, it was edited more than once, but to this day remains in the repertoire of Russian and foreign ballet stages.

Nutcracker. One cannot ignore this creation of Russian ballet geniuses. The theatrical and choreographic performance based on Hoffmann's fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” was staged in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater by Lev Ivanov, and the music for it was written by the same Pyotr Tchaikovsky. This ballet was innovative for that time; it deviated to some extent from the canons of classical choreography. At the same time, “The Nutcracker” is distinguished by its vivid imagery of characters, expressive drama and excellent plot development. Like Swan Lake, it successfully survived the revolutions, wars and other social upheavals that befell Russia over the century, and to this day remains one of our country's greatest contributions to world culture.

Giselle. This stunning dramatization of the tragic love of the country girl Giselle for the noble Count Alfred was first staged in 1841 at the Royal Academy of Music in Paris. The plot was based on the German legend of the ghostly Willis brides as told by Heinrich Heine, the production was carried out by choreographers Jean Coralli and Jules Perrault, and the composer was Adolphe Adam. Thanks to excellent dramaturgy, an exciting plot, beautiful scenery and expressive dance component, the performance was a phenomenal success. In just one year after the first production, Giselle was staged 26 times; in 18 years, this ballet went through as many as 150 performances.

Sacred spring. Staged in 1913, the performance to the music of Igor Stravinsky met with an unprecedented failure at its first showing - and this despite the fact that the creation of this ballet cost the composer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky himself considerable effort. The performance, which describes the pagan ritual of the coming of spring with the voluntary sacrifice of a girl, caused a storm of indignation. However, over time, the public was able to appreciate the expressive music, the absence of a plot as such, and the choreography that reproduced ancient cult dances. “The Rite of Spring” has become a classic of world ballet, and its music was included in the list of 27 compositions sent on the Voyager 1 gold disk to extraterrestrial civilizations.

La Petite Mort. It cannot be said that the famous ballets of the world are a phenomenon exclusively of the past. In 1989, the Dutch choreographer Jiri Kylian staged a cycle of plotless performances “White and Black”, the most famous of which was “The Little Death” to the music of Mozart. Despite the fact that the title is a common euphemism for love ecstasy and the dance itself does have erotic overtones, the production does not look provocative. It is characterized by expressive, “flying” choreography – Kilian’s signature style. In 2011, this performance was shown in Russia on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater.

The most famous ballets in the world are the quintessence of the skill of composers, choreographers and the artists themselves. A huge amount of work and creative energy goes into great performances. You can master this art only from childhood - and Yegor Simachev’s Ballet Workshop will help you with this. In it, the leading artists of the Russian ballet scene pass on to the younger generation not only the “technical part”, but also instill a love for the greatest manifestation of choreography.

Despite the fact that ballet is associated with a difficult art, it is one of those forms that is always understandable anywhere in the world. Dance does not depend on words, which means it can reach everyone.

Of course, this applies to a greater extent to classical ballet, in which you can always figure out what’s what without even reading the libretto. Modern ballet often suffers from the fact that understanding the meaning lies solely within the boundaries of the mind of the beholder. And this is also an interesting experience.

1. “Don Quixote”, music by L. Minkus, choreography by M. Petipa

A well-known story about a pure-hearted eccentric who fought windmills. But ballet, of course, is about love, duty and honor! Only the love is not between Don La Mancha and Dulcinea (spoiler). A bright, wonderful and simply pleasant performance will not leave you indifferent. And this is one of the few stories that does not end with mass death.

2. “The Nutcracker”, music by P. Tchaikovsky, choreography by M. Petipa

A tale of a brave king, a brave girl and a vile, power-hungry rat. The story is familiar to almost everyone, even from childhood. There is no point in thinking that the performance is intended exclusively for children. Adults leave no less delighted, if not more. Again, a show with a happy ending.
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3. “Corsair”, music by A. Adam, C. Pugni, L. Delibes, R. Drigo, P. Oldenburgsky, choreography by M. Petipa

An adventure story with oriental motifs. Does the pirate spirit still linger after reading Stevenson in childhood? Then this is definitely the place for you! Brave and decisive Conrad will deal with everything: both betrayal and the woman he loves. It’s not that no one dies here at all (only the villains), but everything definitely ends well!
Buy a ticket to the Mariinsky Theater
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4. “The Sleeping Beauty”, music by P. Tchaikovsky, choreography by M. Petipa

A funny and incredibly beautiful fairy tale, costumes on the verge of catharsis, all movements are so perfect that you can literally “hear all the words” (which no one pronounces, naturally). Children will see a magical story in it, adults will definitely find humorous moments. Denying yourself such pleasure is strictly prohibited!
Buy a ticket to the Mariinsky Theater
Buy a ticket to the Mikhailovsky Theater

5. “Spartacus”, music by A. Khachaturian, choreography by L. Yakobson/G. Kovtun

A passionate and temperamental story about a rebel gladiator slave. Emotions are running high, so get ready for an unusual evening in a classic setting. At the Mariinsky Theater there is a version directed by Leonid Yakobson, and at the Mikhailovsky Theater - by Georgy Kovtun.
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6. “La Bayadère”, music by L. Minkus, choreography by M. Petipa

One of the oldest ballets in the repertoire of Russian performances. Nevertheless, taking into account the national flavor (and the action takes place in India), “La Bayadère” is a bright, memorable production with interesting dance solutions and unmatched costumes (Bollywood had a lot to be inspired by). A complex love story with a tragic ending.
Buy tickets to the Mariinsky Theater
Buy tickets to the Mikhailovsky Theater

7. “Cipollino”, music by K. Khachaturian, choreography by G. Mayorov

Of course, this is a children's ballet, but if this is your favorite childhood book (like some in our editorial office), then you should definitely watch it. Bright, with wonderful decorations and talking dances. It is so difficult to perform that it was nicknamed “children’s Spartak.” And friendship and justice win! (well, they have to win somewhere)
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8. “Carmen Suite”, music by J. Bizet and R. Shchedrin, choreography by A. Alonso

Spanish passions, exciting and tragic. Jose loves Carmen, Carmen loves the young Torero. Jealousy, storm, madness, dead Carmen. The performance is one-act, short, often shown on stage together with some other one-act ballets. And the fewer there are, the better the price.
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9. “Scheherazade”, music by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, choreography by M. Fokin

Sensual and passionate, you can’t take your eyes off him. A one-act play about the enchanting east (or rather about the “cranberry” associated with it). The heroes had just left the pages of One Thousand and One Nights and immediately started an orgy. No, well, why not? Think about whether you should show it to children, but adults will definitely like it! Also staged together with other one-act ballets.
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10. Ballets by Boris Eifman

When we talk about ballet, we always mean creativity, since it was he who brought this stage genre into the category of serious and large-scale musical stage performances. He has only three ballets and all three - “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, are famous for their excellent dramaturgy and wonderful music.

The most popular ballet work of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which is heard by almost everyone, is “,” written in 1877. Many fragments from this dance performance - “Dance of the Little Swans”, “Waltz” and others, have long lived their own separate lives, like popular musical compositions. However, the entire performance, which tells about a love story, is worthy of the attention of music lovers. Tchaikovsky, who was known during his lifetime for his amazing compositional talent, generously rewarded the ballet with countless charming and memorable melodies.

Another one of the best ballets in musical history is Tchaikovsky's. This was the composer’s second turn to the dance genre, and if “Swan Lake” was not appreciated by the public at first, “Beauty” was immediately recognized as a masterpiece and was shown in almost all theaters of the Russian Empire and Europe.

The ballet is based on the plot known to us since childhood, the fairy tale story of Charles Perrault about Sleeping Beauty, the evil fairy and all-conquering love. Tchaikovsky complemented this story with wonderful dances of fairy-tale characters, and Marius Petipa with amazing choreography, which all became an encyclopedia of ballet art.

"" is the third and last ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, one of the recognized peaks of his work, which is sure to be shown in all theaters in Europe on Christmas and New Year's Eve. Hoffmann's fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” continues the theme of the struggle between evil and good begun by Tchaikovsky in “Swan Lake”, complementing it with elements of fantasy and, naturally, love and self-sacrifice. A philosophical tale, numerous beautiful melodies of dance numbers and choreography make this ballet one of the best and most sought-after classical musical works of world music.

At one time it was one of the most scandalous ballets. Now “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the classic dance productions in many theaters around the world. The composer's new, largely revolutionary music required new scenography and styles of movement from the troupe. Before the premiere, the composer literally had to persuade the directors and dancers to participate in the production. However, this did not help, the main theaters of the country - the Bolshoi and Kirov theaters - refused to stage this performance. Only after the unexpected and stunning success of Romeo and Juliet in Czechoslovakia, the ballet was staged in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and Prokofiev himself was awarded the Stalin Prize.

The classic performance of all dance companies in the world is “Giselle”. The ballet is based on the legend of the Willis - the spirits of brides who died of unhappy love and therefore pursued all the young men on their way in a frantic dance. Since its premiere in 1841, “Giselle” has not lost its popularity among lovers of dance art, and has had many productions.