93 Facts About Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky is regarded as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century.

Vaslav Nijinsky was introduced to dance by his parents, who were senior dancers with the travelling Setov opera company, and his early childhood was spent touring with the company.

At age nine, Vaslav Nijinsky was accepted at the Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg, the pre-eminent ballet school in the world.

Vaslav Nijinsky became the company's star male dancer, causing an enormous stir amongst audiences whenever he performed.

Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky became lovers; the Ballets Russes gave Vaslav Nijinsky the chance to expand his art and experiment with dance and choreography; he created new directions for male dancers while becoming internationally famous.

In 1912, Vaslav Nijinsky began choreographing original ballets, including L'apres-midi d'un faune to music by Claude Debussy, Le Sacre du Printemps to music by Igor Stravinsky, Jeux, and Till Eulenspiegel.

Vaslav Nijinsky originally conceived Jeux as a flirtatious interaction among three males, although Diaghilev insisted it be danced by one male and two females.

In 1913, Vaslav Nijinsky married Hungarian Romola de Pulszky while on tour with the company in South America.

Vaslav Nijinsky was interned in Budapest, Hungary, during World War I, under house arrest until 1916.

Vaslav Nijinsky became increasingly mentally unstable with the stresses of having to manage tours himself and deprived of opportunities to dance.

Vaslav Nijinsky identified himself as Polish although he grew up in the interior of Russia with his parents and he had difficulty speaking Polish.

Vaslav Nijinsky started to earn a living as an extra in Warsaw's Grand Theatre Ballet, becoming a full member of the company at age thirteen.

Vaslav Nijinsky persuaded a friend from the Wielki Theatre, Victor Stanislas Gillert, who was at the time teaching at the Imperial Ballet School, to help get Vaslav into the school.

Vaslav Nijinsky arranged for the noted teacher Enrico Cecchetti to sponsor the application.

Vaslav Nijinsky was admitted to an asylum for the insane in 1902.

In 1900, Vaslav Nijinsky joined the Imperial Ballet School, where he initially studied dance under Sergei Legat and his brother Nikolai.

Vaslav Nijinsky studied mime under Pavel Gerdt; all three men were principal dancers at the Imperial Russian Ballet.

Vaslav Nijinsky appeared in supporting parts in classical ballets such as Faust, as a mouse in The Nutcracker, a page in Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, and won the Didelot scholarship.

Vaslav Nijinsky did well in subjects which interested him, but not otherwise.

Vaslav Nijinsky was teased for being Polish, and nicknamed "Japonczek" for his faintly Japanese looks at a time Russia was at war with Japan.

Vaslav Nijinsky was given student parts in command performances in front of the Tsar of Paquita, The Nutcracker and The Little Humpbacked Horse.

Vaslav Nijinsky had a good ability to hear and play music on the piano, though his sight reading was relatively poor.

Vaslav Nijinsky was readmitted to the school as a non-resident after a sound beating and restored to his previous position after a month's probation.

In 1904, at the age of 14, Vaslav Nijinsky was selected by the great choreographer Marius Petipa to dance a principal role in what proved to be the choreographer's last ballet, La Romance d'un Bouton de rose et d'un Papillon.

On Sunday, 9 January 1905, Vaslav Nijinsky was caught in the Bloody Sunday massacre in St Petersburg, where a group of petitioners led by Father Gapon attempted to present their petition to the Czar.

Vaslav Nijinsky was caught in the crowd on Nevsky Prospect and propelled toward the Winter Palace.

Vaslav Nijinsky became calmer and more serious as he grew older, but continued to make few friends, which continued through his life.

Oboukhov amended the dance to show off Vaslav Nijinsky's abilities, drawing gasps and then spontaneous applause in the middle of the performance with his first jump.

Vaslav Nijinsky was congratulated by the director of the Imperial Ballet and offered a place in the company although he was a year from graduation.

Vaslav Nijinsky tried his hand at choreography, with a children's opera, Cinderella, with music by another student, Boris Asafyev.

Vaslav Nijinsky was congratulated by prima ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska of the Imperial Ballet, who invited him to partner her.

Vaslav Nijinsky graduated second in his class, with top marks in dancing, art and music.

Vaslav Nijinsky spent his summer after graduation rehearsing and then performing at Krasnoe Selo in a makeshift theatre with an audience mainly of army officers.

The new season at the Mariinsky theatre began in September 1907, with Vaslav Nijinsky employed as coryphee on a salary of 780 roubles per year.

Vaslav Nijinsky had a minor role, but it allowed him to show off his technical abilities with leaps and pirouettes.

The partnership of Fokine, Benois and Vaslav Nijinsky was repeated throughout his career.

In subsequent years, Vaslav Nijinsky was given several soloist roles at the Mariinsky.

Vaslav Nijinsky created a sensation in the role of the Wind God Vayou.

Vaslav Nijinsky concentrated on promoting Russian visual and musical art abroad, particularly in Paris.

Vaslav Nijinsky worked closely with choreographer Michel Fokine and artist Leon Bakst, and later with other contemporary artists and composers.

Vaslav Nijinsky's sister wrote that he felt intimidated by the illustrious and aristocratic company.

Anna Pavlova, Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky were chosen as principal dancers.

Fokine insisted that Ida Rubenstein would appear as Cleopatra, and Vaslav Nijinsky insisted that his sister should have a part.

Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky travelled to Paris ahead of the rest of the company.

Vaslav Nijinsky moved to the Hotel de Hollande together with Diaghilev and his secretary, Alexis Mavrine, before the arrival of the others.

Vaslav Nijinsky's expressive execution of a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty was a tremendous success.

Vaslav Nijinsky's portrayal of "Petrushka," the puppet with a soul, was a remarkable display of his expressive ability to portray characters.

Vaslav Nijinsky refused to apologize and was dismissed from the Imperial Ballet.

Vaslav Nijinsky took the creative reins and choreographed ballets which pushed boundaries and stirred controversy.

Vaslav Nijinsky's ballets were L'apres-midi d'un faune ; Jeux ; and Till Eulenspiegel.

The theme, the difficult and challenging music of Stravinsky, and Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography, led to a violent uproar; Diaghilev was pleased with the notoriety.

Relations between Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky had deteriorated under the stress of Vaslav Nijinsky's becoming principal choreographer and his pivotal role in the company's financial success.

Diaghilev could not face Vaslav Nijinsky to tell him personally that he would no longer be choreographing the ballet Joseph, but instead asked his sister Bronia Nijinska to deliver the bad news.

Vaslav Nijinsky was to embark on a tour of South America in August 1913.

Vaslav Nijinsky set sail on a 21-day sea voyage in a state of turmoil and without the people who had been his closest advisers in recent years.

Vaslav Nijinsky was difficult to approach, being always accompanied by a 'minder'.

Vaslav Nijinsky persuaded Diaghilev that her amorous interests lay with Bolm, that she was rich and interested in supporting ballet.

Vaslav Nijinsky allowed her to take ballet lessons with Enrico Cecchetti, who accompanied the troupe coaching the dancers.

Romola took every opportunity to be near Vaslav Nijinsky, booking train compartments or cabins close to his.

Vaslav Nijinsky was likely warned that he was homosexual by Marie Rambert, whom Romola befriended and who was in love with Nijinsky.

Vaslav Nijinsky referred to him as Le Petit, and wanted to have his child.

Vaslav Nijinsky befriended his masseur and was rewarded with a rundown on his musculature.

However, Vaslav Nijinsky asked her again, in broken French and mime, and she accepted.

Vaslav Nijinsky "almost cried with thankfulness" that he showed no interest in making love on their wedding night.

On returning to Paris, Vaslav Nijinsky anticipated returning to work on new ballets, but Diaghilev did not meet him.

Vaslav Nijinsky had missed a performance in Rio when Romola was ill, and only in the case of a dancer's own illness, certified by a doctor, was the dancer allowed to miss a performance.

Vaslav Nijinsky's mother received an allowance of 500 francs per month.

The Ballets Russes had lost its most famous and crowd-pulling dancer, but Vaslav Nijinsky's position was even more difficult.

Vaslav Nijinsky appears not to have appreciated that his marriage would result in a break with Diaghilev's company, although many others immediately expected this would be the result.

Vaslav Nijinsky needed roles that would extend his gifts, and above all, he needed to choreograph.

Not only had Vaslav Nijinsky previously left the Imperial ballet on doubtful terms, but he had not been granted exemption from compulsory military service in Russia, something that was normally given to its dancers.

Vaslav Nijinsky could find only two offers, one a position with the Paris Opera, which would not start for more than a year; the other to take a ballet company to London for eight weeks to perform as part of a mixed bill at the Palace Theatre.

Bronia was still in St Petersburg following the birth of her child, and Vaslav Nijinsky asked her to be part of his new company.

Vaslav Nijinsky was glad to do so, being concerned at how well he could cope without his customary supporters.

Scenery was late, Fokine refused to allow the use of his ballets, there was inadequate time to rehearse, and Vaslav Nijinsky became "more and more nervous and distraught".

Vaslav Nijinsky had to be calmed down enough to perform.

Vaslav Nijinsky jumped on a stagehand who had flirted with Romola.

Vaslav Nijinsky missed three days, and the management had had enough.

Vaslav Nijinsky was confined to house arrest in Budapest and could not leave the country.

Kahn did not get on with Diaghilev and insisted Vaslav Nijinsky should manage the tour.

Also in 1917, Bronia and Vaslav Nijinsky lost their older brother Stanislav, who died in a hospital in Petrograd.

On Sunday, 19 January 1919, Vaslav Nijinsky made one last public appearance: a solo improvised performance at the Suvretta House in St Moritz.

Vaslav Nijinsky stood still for a good while before he finally started moving.

Vaslav Nijinsky's dance reflected a wide range of feelings, from sadness and anger to joyfulness.

Vaslav Nijinsky filled it with drawings of eyes, as he felt himself under scrutiny, by his wife, a young doctor Frenkel, and others.

Vaslav Nijinsky's fears were realized; he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to Burgholzli.

Vaslav Nijinsky had maintained long periods of almost absolute silence during his years of illness.

From 1947, Vaslav Nijinsky lived in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, with his wife.

Vaslav Nijinsky died from kidney failure at a clinic in London on 8 April 1950 and was buried in London.

Vaslav Nijinsky's Diary was written during the six weeks in 1919 he spent in Switzerland before being committed to the asylum to Zurich.

Vaslav Nijinsky removed some of his more unflattering references to her and others close to their household.

In 1995, the first unexpurgated edition of The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky was published, edited by New Yorker dance critic Joan Acocella and translated by Kyril FitzLyon.

Vaslav Nijinsky believed that the reputation of the company would suffer if people saw their performance only in the short, jerky films of the period.