Editing Classical ballet (section)

==Development==
[[File:Marius Ivanovich Petipa -Feb. 14 1898.JPG|thumb|Marius Ivanovich Petipa, February 14, 1898]]
Before classical ballet developed, ballet was in a period referred to as the Romantic era. [[Romantic ballet]] was known for its storytelling, and often held a softer aesthetic. Classical ballet came to be when a ballet master by the name of [[Marius Petipa]] (who is considered to be one of the greatest choreographers of all time) took Romantic ballet and combined it with different aspects of Russian ballet technique (as Petipa was once a choreographer and ballet master at [[Mariinsky Ballet]]). Elements pulled from these things include the storytelling found in Romantic ballet, and the athleticism of Russian technique. Therefore, a new era of ballet, which later became known as the classical era, began.<ref>Victoria and Albert Museum (2013), ''Classical Ballet'' www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/classic-ballet/./</ref> Even though he was responsible for bringing in the classical ballet era, Petipa was also responsible for choreographing well-known romantic ballets such as ''[[Giselle]]''.

During the classical era, Marius Petipa was largely responsible for creating choreographic structures that are still used in ballets today. For one, Petipa was the first to use the [[grand pas de deux]] in his choreography. Additionally, he cemented the usage of the [[corps de ballet]] as a standard part of a ballet. Despite his ushering in of the classical era, these elements can be seen in his romantic ballets as well.

===Famous classical ballets===

[[File:Swanlake015.jpg|thumb|Dancers performing ''Swan Lake'']]
* ''[[Don Quixote (ballet)|Don Quixote]]'': choreographed by Marius Petipa
* ''[[Swan Lake]]'': choreographed by Marius Petipa and [[Lev Ivanov]]
* ''[[The Nutcracker]]'': choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov