Here are my favorite ballets:
The Sleeping Beauty--probably my favorite ballet. I've seen eight versions and have liked all (except one) to some degree. I love the music, the dancing, the choreography, and the characters. So far, the Royal Ballet with Marianela Nunez as the Lilac Fairy is my favorite. Her dancing's so beautiful, and she has a smile on her face the whole time that doesn't look forced. Overall, it's a lovely rendition. Nureyev's version is nice: it has the best Puss-in-Boots duet I've seen, but I hated that he made the Lilac Fairy a character role. Matthew Bourne's version was a nice variation, with Aurora having a sweetheart before she falls asleep, and Carabosse having a credible motivation. The only one I've disliked is the Teatro Munipical from 1982. Avoid: it awkwardly edits out portions of the ballet, and the dancers are not that good.
Jewels--I like seeing abstract ballet, and this is my favorite of that type. I like seeing three different ballet styles, each with a different type of costume. When I first saw it, I liked Diamonds best and didn't like the funky Rubies. The second time, I liked Rubies better, and right now, it's my favorite of the three.
Cinderella--to be totally accurate, I don't like this ballet: I love one version of it Birmingham's is magical: the dancing is strong, the dancers fully inhabit their characters (the stepsisters are cruel but pathetic and funny, Cinderella's plight shines through even when she makes fun of her sisters behind their backs), the costumes and sets are beautiful, and the music's growing on me. Unfortunately, I haven't liked the other four versions I've seen, but I'll treasure this one.
Sylvia--nice dancing and music. Not much more to say: I just like it.
Raymonda--practically no plot, but I don’t care: I like the dancing.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland--this one was a lot of fun. It's also the only version of the Alice story I've liked. Fun characters, inventive staging (the Cheshire Cat as a puppet made of several pieces, each carried by a puppeteer in black, was particularly clever), a tap-dancing Hatter, Middle Eastern caterpillar, a parody of the Rose Adagio, and a mix of mime and dance make this one very entertaining.
The Dream--I liked this truncated version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" better than the full one. The staging and costumes are gorgeous (it helps that there's only one set, so they can dress it up as much as they want). There's excellent dancing by all, especially Oberon, Puck, and Bottom (who's one of the few men I've seen dance en Pointe!). I love that it focuses on the fairies--by doing so, it becomes the story of a failing marriage that's reinvigorated. Only fifty minutes long, but they're a great fifty minutes.
The Prince of the Pagodas--Here's a weird one. I've only seen this twice all the way through, but I love Act II, especially the Salamander's solo. The four kings each have a different style to their dancing, and the dancer playing Epine is having a lot of fun as the villain. Act III is still a bit dull to me, and some of the costumes are grotesque (the King of the South's costume should never have made it past the drawing board), but I enjoy it. There's only one DVD version that I know of.