Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Vaslav Nijinsky
Principal Dancer
Born March 12, 1889 in Kyiv, Russian-Polish (1889–1950)·d. April 8, 1950 in London, England (aged 61)
Ballet
Signature Roles
4 Signature Roles2 Principal Houses
Spotlight
Career Trajectory
Nijinsky ascended from the Imperial Ballet School to become the Ballets Russes's most electrifying performer, his technical mastery and psychological intensity redefining the male dancer's expressive range. His brief choreographic period produced modernist masterworks—L'Après-midi d'un faune and The Rite of Spring—that challenged ballet's aesthetic foundations and established him as a visionary artist. Mental illness ended his performing and creative career in his early thirties, yet his legacy as both dancer and choreographer remains foundational to twentieth-century dance.
Career Highlight
Created and danced the title role in The Rite of Spring (1913), whose revolutionary choreography and premiere sparked the most significant theatrical scandal of the early twentieth century
At a Glance
- Voice
- Principal Dancer
- Nationality
- Russian-Polish
- Born
- 1889 · Kyiv
- Active since
- 1913
Training & Education
Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg (graduated 1907)
Principal Houses
Engagements
Verified past & upcoming performances
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Career Arc
A chronological journey through key moments
1889Born in Kyiv
1913Created and danced the title role in The Rite of Spring (1913), whose revolutionary choreography and premiere sparked the most significant theatrical scandal of the early twentieth century
1950Died in London, England
Available Performances
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