He was so passionate about dance that in his final years, it seemed to drive him mad. Vaslav Nijinsky took “tortured genius” to the next level.
Nijinsky, the most famed and esteemed ballet dancer of his time, is said by many to be a genius of the art and truly dedicated to ballet above all else.
Vincent van Gogh sliced off his ear with a knife during a psychotic episode. Ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky developed schizophrenia and spent the last 30 years of his life in hospital. Virginia Woolf ...
[18] In subsequent years, Nijinsky was given several soloist roles at the Mariinsky. In 1910, Mathilde Kschessinska selected Nijinsky to dance in a revival of Petipa's Le Talisman. Nijinsky created a sensation in the role of the Wind God Vayou.
Vaslav Nijinsky (1889/90–1950) was a Russian-born ballet dancer of almost legendary fame, celebrated for his spectacular leaps and sensitive interpretations.
Born in Kiev, Russia, in 1890, Vaslav Nijinsky was a legendary performer in the history of dance and a revolutionary choreographer. Both his parents were celebrated dancers; they had their own dance company and performed throughout the Russian pire.
Although Nijinsky created only a handful of works, including Rite of Spring, his mark on modern choreography is indelible. He is also remembered as an extraordinary performer with powerful technical abilities and intense magnetism.
The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky, first published by Romola, Nijinsky's widow, were censored to diminish the appearance of psychosis. This version is unexpurgated and was edited and introduced by the late Joan Acocella, a former dance critic for The New Yorker.