Russian ballet impresario who helped revive ballet as a serious art form. Born in Gruzine, Diaghilev worked in Russia in art, opera, and ballet until settling in Paris in 1906. In 1909 he established the Ballets Russes, in collaboration with Russian dancer and choreographer Michel Fokine and Russian dancers including Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova. The company approached ballet as an art unifying dance, drama, music, and painting; its impact on 20th-century ballet is inestimable.

Diaghilev's drawing together of his era's major talents was a catalyst for much of the period's art and music. His scenic designers included French artists Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Maurice Utrillo; French poet-designer Jean Cocteau; and Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Diaghilev commissioned musical scores from Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky; French composers Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud, and Erik Satie; and Spaniard Manuel de Falla. Major talents affiliated with his company included Russian-born choreographers George Balanchine, Léonide Massine, and Serge Lifar.