Le pas d'acier was Prokofiev's second ballet for Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes. It scored a success at its 1927 Paris premiere, and Prokofiev, as was his wont, immediately fashioned a suite from the work. In a sense, his efforts were a bit puzzling—the ballet itself only lasts about a half hour and hardly needs condensing. Nevertheless, he undertook the project and managed to successfully combine some of the better numbers into one movement here and to give cohesion to music that in the ballet sometimes sounds diffuse.

The suite consists of four movements, whereas the ballet had 11 dance numbers spanning just two scenes. The first movement in the suite, "Entry of the People," uses music from the opening number in the ballet, "Appearance of the Participants," and features the springy, march-like main theme. The ensuing section, "The Officials," incorporates music from the ballet's second dance number, "The Procession of the Burghers" and its third, "Commissars." After the moderately-paced opening, the music in "The Officials" turns energetic and colorful, as Prokofiev's orchestration shows his instrumental mastery. This is probably the suite's finest movement.

The third section, "The Sailor and the Factory Worker," is virtually the same as No. 6 in the ballet, "The Sailor and the Girl Worker." The music is lyrical and rather delicate, though there is much instrumental color and playfulness in the orchestral writing in the opening section. The last movement here, "The Factory," incorporates music from the ballet's No. 9, "Factory," and No. 11, "Closing Scene." The suite's finale is mechanical-sounding, with pounding rhythms and a grand, colorful climax, where the march-like main theme from the first section returns for a triumphal finish.

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