The purpose of the article is to study artistic processes among ballet performers in the 1950s – 1970s on the example of the creative activity of Nikolai Apukhtin, Anatoly Belov, and Gennady Baukin. The methodology of the work includes the use of the following research methods: general historical, comparative, analytical, dialectical, systemic, etc. The scientific novelty of the publication lies in the fact that it first explored the professional culture in the field of male classical performance of the first half of the twentieth century on the example of the stage achievements of N. Apukhtin, A. Belov, and G. Baukin. Conclusions. The artistic contribution of the ballet premieres of the 1950s – 1970s. in the development of Ukrainian classical choreography on the example of the creativity of dancers N. Apukhtin, A. Belov, and G. Baukin, consists in the following: 1) a significant increase in the professional culture of performers due to the complication of the technical component and improvement of the actors' acting skills; 2) the creation of highly artistic images in ballets of the Soviet classics (B. Asafiev, R. Glier, A. Kerin, S. Prokofiev, A. Khachaturian, M. Chulaki, V. Yurovsky, etc.) and choreographic performances on national themes (V. Homolyak, K. Dankevich, G. Zhukovsky, V. Kireiko, N. Lysenko, A. Svechnikov, M. Skorulsky, B. Tishchenko, etc.); 3) transfer of professional experience in the process of pedagogical work to subsequent generations of Ukrainian dancers.
Key words: N. Apukhtin, A. Belov, G. Baukin, male classical dance, Ukrainian ballet theater.