Vaslav Nijinsky
Who was Vaslav Nijinsky?
Polish-Russian ballet dancer and choreographer
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Vaslav Nijinsky (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Vaslav Nijinsky (12 March 1889/1890 – 8 April 1950) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, known as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Born in Kyiv to Polish parents who were professional dancers, Nijinsky grew up surrounded by performance. He trained at the Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg, now called the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, where his exceptional physical skills and musicality quickly set him apart. His ability to dance en pointe, mostly a female technique at the time, and his seemingly gravity-defying leaps amazed audiences and critics.
Nijinsky gained international fame through his work with the Ballets Russes and its founder, Sergei Diaghilev. Under Diaghilev's guidance, Nijinsky performed across Europe to great acclaim and began exploring choreography. His choreographic works broke away from classical tradition, using angular, earthbound movements that challenged the light, flowing style then popular in ballet. His ballet L'après-midi d'un faune (1912), set to Debussy's music, stirred controversy for its sensual ending, while Le Sacre du Printemps (1913), with music by Igor Stravinsky, sparked a famous riot at its Paris premiere.
In 1913, during a South America tour without Diaghilev, Nijinsky married Hungarian socialite Romola de Pulszky, ending his partnership with Diaghilev and his role with the Ballets Russes. He briefly rejoined the company and created Till Eulenspiegel in 1916 during a North American tour, but his career was already in decline. By 1919, Nijinsky was diagnosed with schizophrenia after a final public performance in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. He spent most of the next 30 years in and out of psychiatric care.
Despite the tragic end to his performing career, Nijinsky left behind a legacy beyond the stage. During his mental illness, he kept a diary, later published as The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky, providing a raw, personal glimpse into his mind. He also created intense drawings reflecting his psychological state. For his contributions to the arts, he was awarded the Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms, an honor recognizing significant service to French culture and education. Nijinsky died in London on 8 April 1950.
Before Fame
Nijinsky was born in Kyiv to Tomasz Nijinsky and Eleonora Bereda, who were both Polish dancers working in the Russian Empire's theater scene. As a child, he traveled with his parents' touring company, which introduced him to performance from a very young age. After his father left the family, his mother enrolled Vaslav and his brother Stanislav in the Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg, where Vaslav's talent immediately stood out. His training in the demanding Imperial system gave him the technical skills for his later creative work.
While at the Imperial Ballet School, Nijinsky learned from top teachers of the classical Russian style and joined the Imperial Ballet, quickly becoming a lead dancer. He gained early attention through his partnership with prima ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska, but meeting Sergei Diaghilev around 1909 completely changed the course of his career. Diaghilev saw not only Nijinsky's exceptional talent as a performer but also his potential as an artistic partner. With Diaghilev's support, Nijinsky's dreams of becoming a choreographer began to take shape.
Key Achievements
- Choreographed Le Sacre du Printemps (1913), a groundbreaking work that fundamentally altered the course of modern ballet and music history.
- Recognized as the preeminent male ballet dancer of the early 20th century, celebrated for technical feats including dancing en pointe and extraordinary elevation.
- Choreographed L'après-midi d'un faune (1912), a work that introduced explicitly modernist movement language to the ballet stage.
- Awarded the Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms for his contributions to culture and the arts.
- Authored The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky, a significant literary and psychological document that remains in print and is studied as both memoir and artistic record.
Did You Know?
- 01.The premiere of Le Sacre du Printemps on 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris caused such uproar in the audience that dancers reported being unable to hear the orchestra, and Nijinsky had to shout counts from the wings.
- 02.Nijinsky's diary, written over approximately six weeks in early 1919 just before his institutionalization, was initially edited heavily by his wife Romola and not published in its unexpurgated form until 1995.
- 03.He developed his own system of notation for choreography, and his score for L'après-midi d'un faune was reconstructed decades later by dance scholars using this system alongside written accounts.
- 04.Nijinsky could reportedly jump to heights that led witnesses to claim he appeared to pause in mid-air, a phenomenon sometimes attributed to his unusually developed thigh muscles and his technique of inhaling sharply at the peak of a leap.
- 05.After his final performance in 1919, Nijinsky never danced professionally again, meaning his entire active performing career spanned little more than a decade.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms | — | — |