Diaghilev's Russian Ballet, known in French as Ballets russes, was a ballet company created by Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev, an outstanding Russian theater figure and art scholar. It originated from the 'Russian Seasons' of 1908 and successfully operated for 20 seasons until 1929, when Diaghilev passed away. The company enjoyed immense popularity abroad, especially in France and the UK, and had a significant impact not only on choreography but also on world art as a whole. It was based in the Principality of Monaco, in the Monte Carlo Opera building.

Diaghilev, possessing organizational talent, was able to find and attract talented artists. His troupe included outstanding dancers and choreographers such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Leonid Massine, Mikhail Fokine, Serge Lifar, and George Balanchine, which contributed to their professional growth. The sets and costumes for the performances were created by his colleagues from the 'World of Art,' Leon Bakst and Alexander Benois. Subsequently, Diaghilev, striving for innovation, invited leading European artists to collaborate, such as Pablo Picasso, André Derain, Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, as well as Russian avant-gardists, including Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Naum Gabo, and Antoine Pevsner. His collaboration with renowned composers such as Richard Strauss, Erik Satie, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, and Claude Debussy was equally fruitful, especially with Igor Stravinsky, whom he discovered.

The early seasons of Diaghilev, which included ballets set to the music of I.F. Stravinsky, such as 'The Firebird,' 'Petrushka,' and 'The Rite of Spring,' significantly contributed to the popularization of Russian culture in Europe. For example, English dancers Patrick Healey-Kay, Alice Marks, and Hilda Mannings took Russian pseudonyms, Anton Dolin, Alicia Markova, and Lydia Sokolova, under which they performed in Diaghilev's troupe. The popularity of these seasons sparked interest among Europeans in traditional Russian costumes and gave rise to a new fashion, including the wife of King George VI of the UK marrying in a dress inspired by Russian folk traditions.