The history of the Mariinsky Ballet is closely linked with the history of European choreographic art. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries the foundations of the theatre's ballet repertoire were laid by productions by choreographers from Italy and France who were invited to Russia who also taught in school. Among many famous European choreographers, Marius Petipa played a very important role. Having taken on the post of the theatre's Principal Ballet Master, over his lengthy career as a choreographer (spanning almost sixty years), he developed the form of grand ballet – a multi-act production, the plot combining fully developed scenes of classical ensembles, character dances, genre spectacle scenes and pantomime. Even today the ballets The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake (Petipa made together with choreographer Lev Ivanov) and Raymonda form part of the "gold reserves" of the classical legacy and adorn the theatre's repertoire.

At the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the Mariinsky Ballet was famed for its galaxy of star performers. Many of these famous dancers presented Russian ballet during Diaghilev's legendary Saisons russes, thanks to which Europe discovered avant-garde Russian art of the time and the St Petersburg choreographers Michel Fokine and George Balanchine who had set out at the Mariinsky Theatre and launched their international careers.

In the difficult years the Mariinsky Ballet retained its classical repertoire. The ballet playbill expanded to include new works relating plots that were current in the new historical context. Leonid Lavrovsky's Romeo and Juliet defined the rule of the drama-ballet. At this time also saw a veritable take-off of the dancers' technical level: Galina Ulanova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Konstantin Sergeyev, Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev, Yuri Soloviev......

After the 1970s, the Mariinsky Ballet fully integrated with international choreography, showcasing new ballet styles from choreographers like Roland Petit, Maurice Béjart, George Balanchine, John Neumeier, and Wayne McGregor on the Mariinsky stage. These new ballet works, along with classical masterpieces, have become part of the repertoire of the Mariinsky Ballet, which continues to thrive with nearly 300 years of history.