Ballets Russes Dance company founded (1909) in Paris by Sergei Diaghilev, with Michel Fokine as chief choreographer. It revitalized and reshaped ballet by bringing together great dancers (Pavlova and Nijinsky) and choreographers (Massine, Nijinsky, and Balanchine). Leading composers, such as Stravinsky, Debussy, and Richard Strauss composed music for the company, and top artists such as Picasso, Chagall and Matisse designed sets and costumes. It disbanded soon after Diaghilev's death in 1929.

Ballets Russes (Russian Ballet). See under Ballet and Diaghilev.