On 15 October 1581, Paris witnessed the birth of ballet with the staging of "Ballet Comique de la Reine," a groundbreaking event commissioned by Catherine de' Medici.
Designed as a spectacular entertainment for the French court, this performance blended music, poetry, and elaborate choreography, establishing a new form of courtly spectacle that would evolve into the modern ballet we know today.
Its elaborate staging and themes of mythology reflected the grandeur of the Renaissance and cemented Catherine’s legacy as a patron of the arts.
