芭蕾是一种轻盈，舒缓，优雅的舞蹈。芭蕾起源于意大利，兴盛于法国，其部分手势可追溯至古埃及的祭祀舞蹈。芭蕾为法语“ballet”的译音，它的词源则是意大利语的“balletto”，为ballo的指小词，ballo 意为“舞蹈”。

芭蕾舞是一种表演舞蹈，发源于十五世纪，即意大利文艺复兴时期的宫廷。随后它在法国和俄罗斯发展成表演舞蹈。它是一种广泛流传，且具高度技术性的舞蹈，拥有法文专属术语。它在全球均具影响力，更定义了很多其他舞蹈的基础技巧。芭蕾舞需要长时间学习，在世界各地都有学校教授，并用自身文化继续把它发展下去。

Ballet /ˈbæleɪ/ (French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread, highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French terminology. It has been globally influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other dance genres. Becoming a ballet dancer requires years of training. Ballet has been taught in various schools around the world, which have historically incorporated their own cultures to evolve the art.