I wish I had enough knowledge to tell the difference.

It's a very tough question to give a single answer to. It's the cutesy stuff with tutus that people always think of when they think ballet, and this is an amazing style to watch the fairies dance their lovers to death and whatnot...but then with the modern "muscular ballet" is such a new concept, I think it gives the audience some realization of the strength involved in ballet. I've never seen a live performance of these but I imagine they would be far more entertaining to watch for the first time than the same old thing repeatedly *shrug* I really need to find a performance this year to attend :)

I've never seen "nude" ballet (fortunately). I believe it was Tudor who said something to the effect that he would never do a nude piece because he didn't want body parts that he couldn't choreograph, sort of doing their own thing, you get the idea. Speaking of Tudor: my favorite ballet genre was the classical (La Bayadere, Don Q) and the romantic (Giselle), until recently I fell in love with Tudor's "The Leaves are Fading." It's gorgeous, with a great flow in the partnering which unfortunately classical ballet often lacks. Another modern favorite, also Tudor, is "Dark Elegies." Intense, melancholy, but ultimately life-affirming. Check 'em out!

Anything choreographed by Petipa. A couple of Balanchine's, notably Apollo and Union Jack, for different reasons. The Royal Danish ballet production of Firebird, I forget the choreographer but it's set in Victorian period costuming. Fokine's original Firebird, for that matter. And absolutely anything by Anthony Tudor.

I'm new to tribe but joined your tribe because even though i don't really do ballet per se (what i'm forced to learn for colorguard doesn't count i guess), i love watching it and reading about it.
I'm weirdly opinionated about ballet so i would have to say that my favorites are the modern ballets. However, i can truly appreciate some classics, Don Q will always be a favorite of mine.
I think that modern brings a new facet to the traditions. Kind of a breath of fresh air for things so regular, but still beautiful. It just enhances those things which were already so great about ballet.
Out of curiousity, how do you feel about Mikhail Baryshnikov? I saw him perform about a year ago. I admit i cried and remember every second of it, only worshipped him for 6 years, but i am now broadening my balletic horizons. Who do you think made the most significant contributions to the ballet world?

Let's see, there's Classical, Romantic, Both, Modern, Nude. Not enough choices here, since dance encompasses many genres and styles. I think I need more information, such as the "grey transitional zone" where Classical ends and Romanic begins, for instance.

I danced ballet and modern dance for many years. I danced many generes, and preferred the experimental kinds of choreography--indeed, sometimes it reflected the Classical, the Romantic, the Both, and yes, nude, artistic dance. My favorite choreographer is Mark Morris--the dance he creates is very modern, but he reflects back to the "classical" ballet makers in some of his ballets and modern dance. I met Mark, when I saw the San Francisco Ballet three seasons ago--he's a cool, down-to-earth guy.

Now that I'm more inclined to watch ballet and dance as an esteemed audience member, I prefer the newer dances. I visited Australia, and was enthralled by Chris Wheeldon's choreography, and the works by other contemporary choreographers. By the way, the Sydney Opera House is an experience by itself--seeing the Australian Ballet perform there was a quintessence!

Keep On Dancing!

Mohabee