Entertainment Performing Arts The Most Popular Ballets of All Time Print Performing Arts Ballet Gear Favorite Ballets Singing Acting Musical Theater Dance Stand Up Comedy By Aaron Green Aaron Green Music Expert B.A., Classical Music and Opera, Westminster Choir College of Rider University Aaron M. Green is an expert on classical music and music history, with more than 10 years of both solo and ensemble performance experience. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 01/15/19 There is more to classical music than just symphonies, operas, oratorios, concertos, and chamber music. Some of classical music's most recognizable pieces originated in the form of ballet. Ballet began in Italy during the Renaissance period and slowly evolved into a highly technical form of dance that required and demanded athletic and limber dancers. The first ballet company created was the Paris Opera Ballet, which formed after King Louis XIV appointed Jean-Baptiste Lully to be the director of the Académie Royale de Musique (Royal Academy of Music). Lully's compositions for ballet are considered by many musicologists to be a turning point in the development of ballet. Since then, the popularity of ballet ebbed and flowed from one country to the next, giving composers of different nationalities the opportunity to compose some of their most famous works. Below, you'll find seven of the world's most popular and beloved ballets. What makes these ballets so special? Their story, their music, and their brilliant choreography. 01 of 07 The Nutcracker Nisian Hughes/Stone/Getty Images Composed in 1891 by Tchaikovsky, this timeless classic is the most performed ballet of the modern era. It wasn’t until 1944 when the first production of The Nutcracker was performed in America by the San Francisco Ballet. Since then, it has become a tradition to perform during the holiday season, as it rightly should. This great ballet not only has some of the most recognizable music, but its story brings joy to children and adults alike. 02 of 07 Swan Lake Ken Scicluna/Getty Images Swan Lake is the most technically and emotionally challenging classical ballet. Its music far exceeded its time, noting that many of its early performers claimed it was too difficult and complex to dance to. Much is unknown of its original production, but its revised production by the famous choreographers Petipa and Ivanov is the base of the many versions we see today. Swan Lake will always be held as the standard of classical ballets and will be performed throughout the centuries to come. 03 of 07 A Midsummer's Night Dream Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images A Midsummer’s Night Dream has been adapted to many styles of art. However, in 1962, George Balachine premiered his first full length (entire evening) ballet. A Midsummer’s Night Dream, a Shakespeare classic, served as the base of Balachine’s ballet. He gathered the music of Mendelssohn who composed an overture for A Midsummer’s Night Dream and subsequent incidental music in 1843. A Midsummer’s Night Dream is a popular and enjoyable ballet that almost anybody will love. 04 of 07 Coppélia Hulton Archive/Getty Images Coppélia was composed by Delibes and choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon. The story was written by Arthur Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitter after E.T.A. Hoffman’s Der Sandmann. Coppélia is a lighthearted tale portraying man’s conflict between idealism and realism, art and life, featuring bright music and lively dancing. Its world premiere with the Paris Opera was successful in 1871 and remains successful today; it is still in the theater’s repertoire. 05 of 07 Peter Pan Michael Nicholson/Corbis via Getty Images Peter Pan is a marvelous ballet fit for the entire family. The dancing, scenery, and costumes are as colorful as the story itself. Peter Pan is relatively new to the world of ballet, and because there is no “set in stone” way to perform the piece, it can be interpreted differently by each producer, choreographer, and music director. Although each production may be different, the story remains nearly consistent—and that’s why it’s a classic. 06 of 07 The Sleeping Beauty Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images The Sleeping Beauty was Tchaikovsky’s first famous ballet. His music was just as important as the dancing! The story of The Sleeping Beauty is a perfect match for ballet—royal celebrations in a magnificent castle, the battle of good and evil and the triumphant victory of everlasting love. What more could you ask for? The choreography was created by world-renowned Marius Pepita who also choreographed The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. This classical ballet will be performed as long as the world turns. 07 of 07 Cinderella Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Many versions of Cinderella exist, but the most common are those that use Sergei Prokofiev’s score. Prokofiev began his work on Cinderella in 1940 but paused during World War II. He finished the score in 1945. In 1948, choreographer, Frederick Ashton staged a full-length production using Prokofiev’s music which turned out to be a huge success. Cinderella isn’t just a movie, it’s a ballet too, and it deserves equal amounts of attention.