Story of one of the most gifted male dancers in history.
Story of one of the most gifted male dancers in history.
The ballet prodigy
Vaslav Nijinsky was the second child of celebrated Polish dancers, Thomas Laurentivevich Nijinski and Eleonora Bereda. He spent most of his childhood in the Caucasus, dancing with his brother Stanislav and his little sister Bronislawa.
Very soon, Vaslav showed an incredible talent for dancing and at the age of nine he was accepted at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg. At the age of 16, he was encouraged to graduate early but he declined, wanting to complete his course of study first. After graduation in 1907 he joined the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg as a soloist.
God of dance
In his career, Vaslav danced the leading parts in many famous classical ballets and was partnered with some of the greatest ballerinas of the time.
He was known for his incredible technical skills as a dancer. Furthermore, he introduced new movements and techniques that had never been seen before. He also brought a new level of emotion and depth into his performances and pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in terms of the expression of feeling on stage. His performances were often controversial but always memorable.
In 1909 he joined Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, and the company’s choreographer Michel Fokine created Le Spectre de la rose, Petrushka, Schéhérazade, and other ballets expressly for him. In 1912 Nijinsky began his own career as a choreographer. Due to his use of unconventional movements, music, and themes, he was perceived as a visionary of that time.
Until 1917 Nijinsky appeared all over Europe, in the United States, and in South America, and was often referred to as “the God of dance”.
Turbulent love life
Some sources state that at the beginning of the 20th century, in Russia, there was a heavy sexual trade in ballet dancers. Some dancers accepted fees from interested ballet patrons for making introductions. In 1907 one such dancer introduced Nijinsky to the Prince Pavel Lvov, and Nijinsky entered what was probably his first sexual relationship.
But Lvov soon got tired of Nijinsky and began introducing him to others, including, in 1908, to Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev, a celebrated and highly innovative producer of ballet and opera. They became lovers and Diaghilev was deeply involved in directing and managing Nijinsky's career. Although Nijinsky had a strong stage presence, he was somewhat shy and reserved off-stage and strongly believed in his mentor.
In 1913, while on a South American tour without Diaghilev’s watchful presence, Nijinsky met a Hungarian Countess, Romola de Pulszky. Romola had seen Nijinsky dance in 1912. She thereupon decided to marry him and started to follow the Ballets Russes company, as a sort of groupie, for that purpose. On the ship, she made her interest in Nijinsky known, and two weeks out of port, without having exchanged more than a few words with her (at that time they had no language in common), he proposed. They got married in Buenos Aires two weeks later, for which Diaghilev fired Nijinsky from the company.
The beginning of the end
In 1919, at the age of just 29, Nijinsky retired from the stage, owing to a nervous breakdown. He began exhibiting symptoms of what was later diagnosed as schizophrenia, including delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thinking. His behavior became increasingly erratic, and he began to have trouble distinguishing between reality and his own imagination, which made him unable to continue performing.
His wife took over his affairs and arranged for him to receive various forms of treatment, but Nijinsky's condition continued to deteriorate. He spent the remainder of his time in Switzerland, France and England with Romola and their daughters Kyra and Tamara.
Nijinsky died from kidney failure at a clinic in London on 8 April 1950. He is buried in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris and the statue on his grave shows him in character as the puppet Petrushka.
Professional symbols at your cemetery
The grave of Vaslav Nijinsky is a typical example of a grave that represents the profession performed by the deceased. Surely there are many graves with professional, or other interesting symbols in your home cemetery as well. We encourage you to find them and share their stories with us.
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