Actual ballet dances developed in the 1700s by French dancers and choreographers such as Charles Didelot and Jean Dauberval. This was about the same time period in which ballerinas began to dance en pointe in specially strengthened shoes.
In Russia, Peter the Great decided to begin to evolve the arts in his country during the end of the 17th century. Artists from other countries were invited to Russia at this time to help modernize the country.
Jean Baptiste Lande was one of the first instructors of ballet and brought his students to Russia to perform for the Empress Anna. The students put on such a spectacle for the Empress that she decided to start a ballet school in Russia in 1738. This school was known as the Imperial Ballet School, and later became known as the Vaganova Academy under the direction of Agrippina Vaganova. Catherine the Great also started a ballet school at an orphanage in Moscow in the late 1700s.
Frenchman Charles Didelot came to Russia to begin the first performances of Russian ballet. His early performances were put on at the Bolshoi Theater, which later became known as the Marinsky Theater.
Many European dancers came to Russia such as Jules Perrot, Fanny Cerrito, Carlotta Grisi and Marie Taglioni. Taglioni brought with her Christian Johanson. He began dancing as her partner, but stayed in Russia and eventually became one of the leading teachers of ballet. He was influential in keeping male dancers involved in ballet.
During the 19th century, Marius Petipa took Russia by storm and became the chief choreographer for the Imperial Ballet School. Petipa was influential in creating full-length ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty. Another important part of Russian ballet history was the creation of the Ballets Russes by Sergei Diaghilev. Interestingly, the Ballets Russes were never performed in Russia. 1909 was the year that they first performed in Paris, immediately gaining a positive reputation that would stay with the company throughout the years.
Around the time of the creation of the Ballet Russes, the greatest Russian dancers began to emerge. Dancers such as Anna Pavlova, and Vaslav Nijinsky began to gain popularity. From then on, ballet in Russia has been influenced by the many dancers, choreographers and productions that the country has produced.