The Mariinsky Ballet is closely linked with the entire history of the development of Russian choreographic art which began more than two and a half centuries ago. An important role in the establishment and evolution of Russian ballet was played by foreign dance masters.

Ballet divertissements, reflecting his response to the events of the Napoleonic War, occupied a special place in his work. The history of St Petersburg ballet in the 19th century was associated with the activities of Charles Didelot, Jules Perrot, and Arthur Saint-Léon. In 1869, the position of principal ballet master was entrusted to Marius Petipa who markedly raised the professional standards of the company. The peak accomplishments of this famous choreographer were ballets staged in the period of his collaboration with the composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Alexander Glazunov – The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Raymonda. The talents of many generations of ballerinas have been revealed in these works – from Yekaterina Vyazem, Marina Semenova and Galina Ulanova to younger dancers who are just starting their careers at the Mariinsky Theatre. At the turn of the 19th century, the Mariinsky Ballet produced such great dancers as Anna Pavlova, Mathilde Kschessinska, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Olga Spesivtseva, Vaslav Nijinsky and Nikolai and Sergei Legat. Many of them brought glory to Russian ballet during the legendary Saisons russes in Paris which brought the pioneering works of Mikhail Fokine to Europe.

The present-day repertoire of the Mariinsky Ballet includes, along with Petipa's legacy – Swan Lake, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, La Bayadére and The Sleeping Beauty – ballets staged by Michel Fokine, George Balanchine, Frederic Ashton, William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Angelin Preljocaj and Wayne McGregor.

Ever since 2001, the Mariinsky Theatre has hosted the annual International Ballet Festival Mariinsky, its participants the greatest soloists from leading ballet companies from all over the globe.

Acting Director of the Mariinsky Ballet ：Yuri Fateyev
Honored Artist of Russia

Born in St Petersburg. Graduated from the Vaganova Choreography School in 1982 and joined the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Company the same year. His repertoire included the ballets Giselle, La Bayadère, Paquita, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Creation of the World, Le Carnaval, La fille mal gardée, The Knight in the Tiger's Skin, Coppélia among others.

In 1996 he became a coach with the Mariinsky Ballet Company, and in this post he worked on Mariinsky Theatre premiere performances of ballets by George Balanchine, Roland Petit, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon and José Antonio. He has been a guest coach with the Royal Ballet in London and Russia's Bolshoi Theatre as well as teaching for the Swedish Royal Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet (USA) and the Danish Royal Ballet where he staged a production of highlights from the ballet Le Corsaire. He was involved in the Kings of Dance project in Russia and the USA as well as the project Stiefel and Stars in the USA, where he staged highlights from classical ballets. Since 2008 he has been Acting Director of the Mariinsky Ballet Company.