The romantic ballet Paquita composed by Ludwig Minkus was originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Edouard Deldevez. Based on Joseph Mazilier and Paul Foucher's libretto, the ballet tells the story of a beautiful Spanish girl Paquita, who, as an infant, was saved from a pirate massacre by a gypsy family. Due to her social standing, her romance with a French nobleman Lucien cannot flourish. But traveling the country, the gypsies help Paquita find her real family, and when it is discovered that she is the daughter of a nobleman, Paquita and Lucien finally reunites.

The ballet was first presented by the Paris Opera Ballet in 1846, and the next year Marius Petipa staged it for the Imperial Ballet of St Petersburg, as his very first work. In 1881, the choreographer produced a revival of Paquita set to new scores by Ludwig Minkus, which was a part of the Mariinsky Theatre's repertory for several decades. The latest revival was created by Pierre Lacotte for the Paris Opera Ballet in 2001 with original elements from Joseph Mazilier and Marius Petipa's choreographies.