The jubilee exhibition will feature stories of ballet dancers, posters, handbills, photographs and costumes, housed by Slovenian archives, museums, theatres, the national television broadcaster, ballet dancers themselves and appreciators of ballet.

It will put on display some of Slovenia's most mesmerising and fascinating ballet costumes as well as rarely seen video features and choreographic notes, said the Slovenian Association of Ballet Artists.

Ballet in Slovenia began developing in the second half of the 18th century, when Italian and German travelling theatre companies started putting on performances in Ljubljana. Slovenia's first professional ballet ensemble was established in the capital in 1918.

The exhibition has been devised by Danica Dolinar, the head of music and ballet production at the national broadcaster RTV Slovenija. She also wrote a book about the development of Slovenian ballet, which came out during the centenary's celebrations.

Cankarjev Dom will mark the anniversary also by holding a gala ballet concert on 21 May, featuring some of the international ballet stars in co-production with the association as well as the Ljubljana SNG Opera and ballet house and Maribor SNG theatre.