The Ballets Russes (French for The Russian Ballets) was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and performed until his death in 1929. It was initially resident in the Théâtre Mogador and Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, moving then to Monte Carlo. Its members originated from the Tsar's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, where all its dancers were associated and trained. It used many of the works of the great choreographer Marius Petipa. It created a sensation in Western Europe because of the great vitality of Russian ballet compared to French dance. The Ballets Russes became one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century, in part because of the ground-breaking artistic collaboration among choreographers, composers, and artists. That influence, in one form or another, has lasted to this day.

After Diaghilev's death in 1929, the company's property was claimed by creditors. The dancers were scattered. Count de Basile revived the company under the name Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, with which George Balanchine and Tamara Toumanova were associated. He and one of his collaborators disagreed, who went on to found another company under the name Original Ballet Russe. During World War II the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo toured extensively in the United States and South America. The Original Ballet Russe toured mostly in Europe.