The biography of Vaclav Nizhinsky should be familiar to all fans of art, especially Russian ballet. This is one of the most famous and talented Russian dancers of the early XX century, who has become a true innovator of dance. Nizhinsky was the main prima of the Russian ballet of Diaghilev, as the choreographer he staged "Afternoon rest of the faun", "Til Uhlenshpigel", "Sacred Spring", "Games". He said goodbye to Russia in 1913, since then he lived in exile.
Dancer Biography
The biography of Vaclav Nizhinsky is classical for a creative person of his time. He was born in 1889, March 12, was born in Kiev. His parents were Polish ballet dancers, so he decided to follow in their footsteps. The name of the father of Vaclav Nizhinsky is Tomas, his mother's name was Eleanor Bereda.
At the time of the birth of Vaclav Eleanor was 33 years old, she was five years older than her husband. Wenceslas was baptized in Catholic Warsaw, he was the second child in the family. Two years later, his parents gave birth to a daughter, who was named Bronislava.
From early childhood, the father introduced all his children to dancing, this played a big role in the life of Vaclav Nizhinsky, whose biography is the subject of our review. He himself first appeared on stage at the age of five, performing a hopak as an entreprise on a tour at the Odessa Theater.
Nizhinsky's parents performed in the troupe of Joseph Setov, after his death in 1894, the troupe finally broke up. Tomash tried to put together his own team, but was burnt, the enterprise failed, and many years of wandering began, in which the family interrupted by casual earnings.
Researchers in the biography of Vaclav Nizhinsky claim that in those years a young boy began to help his father, speaking at festivals and fairs with small, but bright and spectacular numbers. For example, reliable information was preserved about his performances in Nizhny Novgorod at Christmas.
In 1897, the father of Wenceslas left the family. During a tour in Finland, he fell in love with the young soloist Rumyantsev. The parents of the hero of our article officially divorced. Eleanor with all three children went to St. Petersburg, where her youth friend Stanislav Gillert lived. It was a well-known metropolitan Polish dancer who himself taught at the St. Petersburg Ballet School and promised to help the Nizhinsky family with what he could.
Ballet education
The older brother of Vaclav Nizhinsky, whose name was Stanislav, and everyone called Stasik at home, fell out of the window as a child. Since then, he began to have disorders, as they said, "he was not of this world." Therefore, his parents did not give him anywhere to study, but the hero of our article, as soon as they got to St. Petersburg, his mother sent to the ballet class. The experience gained from his father helped, accepted him quite easily.
Two years later, his sister Bronislava entered the same ballet school. It is worth noting that not only Stanislav, but also Wenceslas differed in strangeness in behavior in the Nizhinsky family. The first manifestations of mental disorders in the hero of our article showed up when he was in ballet school. He was even sent for examination to a clinic for the mentally ill, but nothing happened. Researchers and biographers suggest that most likely the fault was some kind of hereditary disease.
Everyone soon forgot about the problems of Vaclav Nizhinsky, his talent was so undeniable that at the ballet school they decided to close their eyes to some of his oddities. As a result, Vaclav attracted the attention of the outstanding dancer Nikolai Legat in the recent past, whose views at that time were already considered somewhat outdated, but he was still appreciated and reckoned with his opinion.
In 1905, Nizhinsky took part in the examination ballet, which was organized for students of his school. It was set by an innovative teacher, who was gaining popularity in those years, Mikhail Fokin. Moreover, this was his first production as a choreographer, he decided that he would stage “Acis and Galatea”. Wenceslas got the role of Faun, although he was not a graduate yet, but in terms of talent and level of skill he exceeded many who had already graduated from ballet school.
Demonstration performance took place at the Mariinsky Theater on April 10, 1905. 15-year-old Nizhinsky first appeared on the main Russian stage. All the newspapers published the next day unanimously noted the amazing talent of the young talent. Journalists and theater critics wrote that the young artist Nizhinsky amazed and amazed everyone, and yet he will have to study at the ballet school for two more years, which means that his skill will only be honed. All celebrated his exceptional physique and talent. Beautiful and smooth movements, the ease with which he performed every element of the dance. The main thing that everyone wished that he did not stop developing, being remembered only as a bright child prodigy, but grew into a real ballet star.
Performance at the Mariinsky Theater
In telling a brief biography of Vaclav Nizhinsky, it is necessary to mention the period of his work at the Mariinsky Theater. After the triumphant performance of the role of Faun, he was invited to perform constantly already in 1906. Nizhinsky’s career in this theater turned out to be bright, but short-lived. Already in 1911 he was fired with a scandal. During the ballet "Giselle", he appeared on stage not in trousers unusual for the public of that time, but in a tight leotard. Sketches for costumes for ballet were designed by Benois, Nizhinsky liked this approach.
Among the spectators in the hall were members of the imperial family, they had a permanent box at the Mariinsky Theater, they attended almost all the premieres. According to historians, the widow of Empress Maria Fyodorovna was most outraged by the outfit of young Wenceslas. First of all, he seemed too frank to her, she insisted to accuse the artist of depraved behavior.
Later, when he began to play the role of Faun in the play, which he staged himself, he was again accused of obscenity, excessive erotization. His movements on the stage seemed to some viewers similar to masturbation, especially when he enthusiastically fell into the cloak left on the shore of Nympha.
Modern art experts say that his performances were far ahead of their time, and besides, in tsarist Russia there was a strong influence of the prim Victorian era. But it is worth recognizing that the topic of sexuality played a huge role not only in the work of Vaclav Nizhinsky, but also in his mental disorder.
Work at Diaghilev
Almost immediately after graduation, Wenceslas was invited to work by Sergei Diaghilev, so that the young man took part in his ballet seasons. Since 1909, he danced with Diaghilev. It was there that he received his nickname of the bird man for his ability to make incredibly high jumps.
Diaghilev drove a troupe throughout Europe, collecting huge halls. In Paris, they performed with the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater. From 1907 to 1911, Chopiniana or La Sylphide, Pavilion of Armida, Giselle, Egyptian Nights, or Cleopatra, Swan Lake, were staged on the main French stage.
In addition to these productions, a divertissement entitled “Feast” to the music of domestic composers, “Carnival” to the music of Schumann, “Petrushka” by Stravinsky, “Daphnis and Chloe” by Ravel, “Scheherezad” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Vision of the Rose” was successfully performed Weber. During the last ballet, Vaslav Nizhinsky hit everyone with his jump. He just disappeared into the window. Describing what he saw, the French poet and playwright Jean Cocteau, who collaborated with Diaghilev, claimed that it was a leap denying the very laws of equilibrium in the world, a high and curved flight ended with Nizhinsky simply disappearing in the window.
Own productions
The talent of Vaclav Fomich Nizhinsky was always encouraged by his main mentor Diaghilev. He was the first to advise the hero of our article to try himself not only as a dancer, but also as a choreographer.
Secretly from Fokine, Nizhinsky begins to rehearse his first ballet. His choice dwells on the production of "Afternoon Faun Rest" to the music of Debussy. Wenceslas builds the entire choreography exclusively on profile poses, which he takes from the paintings of ancient Greek vases. Diaghilev infected Nizhinsky with eurhythmy and rhythmoplasty, which the latter actively uses in productions.
“Faun Afternoon Rest” was published in 1912, the next year Nizhinsky in the same aesthetics puts on his second ballet - “The Rite of Spring” to Stravinsky's music. The composer writes the work, making maximum use of dissonance, relying on tonality, his choreography is based on complex combinations of rhythms. This production becomes one of the first expressionist ballets in history.
Spectators and critics did not immediately accept the "holy spring", the premiere turned into a scandal. The audience again, as well as after the ballet "Afternoon Rest Faun", was outraged and shocked by the final erotic scene. The topic of sex Vaclav Fomich Nizhinsky has always paid great attention.
In 1913, he staged another ballet - this is the “Games” to the music of Debussy, his main distinguishing feature is the complete lack of plot. In all his first productions, Nizhinsky emphasized the opposition to the grace of classical style and anti-romanticism, which was usual for all admirers of ballet of that time.
The ballet of Vaclav Nizhinsky literally captivated the French public. The dramatic talent of the artist, as well as his unusual and even exotic appearance, seemed brilliant to the Paris theater community. As a choreographer, Nizhinsky has always been a bold and non-trivial-minded director who opened up new paths and opportunities in plastic for ballet, and returned to male dance virtuosity and priority that had been lost by then. It should be admitted that Vaclav owes much of his success to Sergey Diaghilev, who always believed in him and supported him in the most daring and unexpected experiments.
Personal life of a dancer
The biography and personal life of Vaclav Nizhinsky has always been under the close attention of his fans. Now it is no secret that Nizhinsky was homosexual. In his youth, he had an intimate relationship with Prince Pavel Dmitrievich Lvov, later Sergey Diaghilev became his lover.
However, he was officially married. This happened when in 1913 the troupe went on tour in South America. On the ship, he met his fan, the aristocrat from Hungary, Romola Pula. Upon reaching their destination, they entered into an official marriage in one of the South American countries. It happened on September 10, 1913. Moreover, the marriage was secret, they did not even inform their relatives about it.
Sergei Diaghilev learned about what happened from his servant Vasily, who was assigned to Nizhinsky to look after him. The personal life of Vaclav Nizhinsky was under constant control. Diaghilev himself did not go on tour to South America. Vasily sent a telegram to his boss, who instantly fell into a rage, deciding to expel the dancer from the troupe. In fact, this episode put an end to his career, which began so dizzyingly.
The fact is that the relations between Diaghilev and Vaclav Nizhinsky up to this point were built on full trust. The dancer did not sign any contracts with his entrepreneur and did not receive official salaries, unlike other artists who worked for Diaghilev. Diaghilev simply paid for Nizhinsky himself everywhere, the dancer did not think about money and his future. That is why he managed to get rid of his main star without any delay.
Personal life had a great influence on the biography of Vaclav Nizhinsky. After breaking up with Diaghilev, he found himself without a livelihood and without work.
Copyright Entreprise
Now Vaclav Nizhinsky, whose photo is presented in this article, was forced to look for options in order to make money. He was in very difficult conditions. Being a ballet genius, he did not have the grasp of a producer and was never a calculating person. True, job offers appeared almost immediately. But he refused to lead the ballet Grand Opera in Paris, deciding to create and promote his own entreprise. He managed to assemble a troupe, which included 17 people, among them was his sister Bronislava with her husband, who had previously danced with Diaghilev, but left the entrepreneur, supporting her brother.
Nizhinsky managed to issue a contract with the Palace Theater in London. The repertoire included several of his author's productions, as well as Fokin's ballets, which the hero of our article underwent a radical alteration. These were Carnival, The Phantom of the Rose, and La Sylphide.
But the tour could not be considered successful, they did not pay off, ending in failure and a complete financial collapse. These circumstances led to another nervous breakdown that happened at Nizhinsky, his mental illness began to develop with alarming speed. After the first failure, setbacks pursued him one after another. You can learn more about them from books about Vaclav Nizhinsky, which describe his fate and biography. For example, this is the work of Richard Barcl, which is called “Nizhinsky”, the recollections of the wife of Romola Nizhinsky about the legendary dancer.
Last premiere of Nizhinsky
In 1914, a daughter was born to Nizhinsky and his wife Romola. When the First World War began, they returned from St. Petersburg to Budapest. In Hungary, husband and wife were interned until the onset of 1916. Once under arrest, Nizhinsky was very worried, this further aggravated his mental state, he languished from creative idleness.
At this time, Diaghilev, despite the outbreak of war, successfully continued his tour. He renewed the contract with Nizhinsky to go with the Russian Ballet to perform in South and North America. On April 12, 1916, the hero of our article returned to the stage of the Diaghilev Theater, performing his crown parts in the productions of Vision of the Rose and Petrushka. He won the audience of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
In the same year, on the stage of the Manhattan Opera, the premiere of Nijinsky's ballet Til Uhlenshpigel to the music of Strauss took place. This turned out to be the last premiere in his creative career in which he was involved. Nijinsky traditionally performed the main part. The downside was that the performance was created in a hurry, the deadlines were tight, the author had a lot of interesting stage finds, but the production as a result failed anyway.
Fatal disease
The unrest and failures of recent years have traumatized the already unstable psyche of Nizhinsky. It is believed that a special role was played by his fascination with Tolstoyism, which was extremely popular at that time among the creative intelligentsia. Members of the Diaghilev troupe, who adhered to these ideas, suggested to Wenceslas that the acting profession is sinful, which further aggravated his illness.
On September 26, 1917, he last appeared on stage in the production of Vision of the Rose. After that, he settled with his family in Switzerland. Then he regained peace of mind, even began to build creative plans again, developed a new dance recording system, planned to open his own school. In 1918, he outlined the main thoughts in a book entitled “The Diary of Vaclav Nizhinsky” was published in 1953 in Paris.
However, enlightenment was short-lived. He was nevertheless sent for treatment to a clinic for the mentally ill. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia. Until the end of his life, he remained in various psychiatric clinics, in which he was helped with varying success.
In 1945, journalists discovered him in post-war Vienna, he danced among Soviet soldiers. He was greatly impressed by the meeting with his compatriots. Long before this, Nizhinsky, who had not spoken, began to communicate with the Poles in his native language. Many attempts have been made to bring him back to life. In 1928, Diaghilev came to his clinic, trying to revive his mind with a dance. He took Nizhinsky to the production of Petrushka, but Vaclav remained indifferent to what he saw.
After the death of Diaghilev in 1929, such attempts were made by the wife of the dancer Romola. Once she even invited Serge Lifar to the hospital to dance in front of her husband. Lifar danced to exhaustion for several hours, but all this time Nizhinsky remained absolutely indifferent to what was happening. Suddenly, as if some force caught him, he took off, hovered in the air in a jump, as he always knew how to do on stage, and then immediately fell into unconsciousness. This moment of second enlightenment managed to capture the photographer Jean Monzon. The picture is known as the last jump of Vaclav Nizhinsky.
The death of a genius
Nijinsky died in London in 1950. This happened on April 11, he was 61 years old. In 1953, his body was transported to Paris, where he was reburied at the Montmartre cemetery. Nearby was the grave of another legendary dancer Gaetano Vestris, who performed in the XVIII century, the playwright Teofil Gauthier, who is considered one of the founders of romantic ballet. On a tombstone of the grave of Nizhinsky, which is made of gray stone, sits a sad bronze buffoon with a drooping head.
The significance of Nizhinsky’s personality in the history of Russian and world ballet is difficult to underestimate. Critics called him the "eighth wonder of the world." His stage partners, including star of the first magnitude Matilda Kshesinskaya, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spesivtseva, Anna Pavlova, claimed that when he hung on the stage in his unique fantastic leap, it seemed that a person could defeat the laws of gravity, having mastered the state of zero gravity .
As noted by the audience who came to his performances, Nizhinsky managed to achieve absolute internal and external transformation on the stage. It was a real breakthrough in the art of ballet, he was the first to discover the style of expressionism, which was established only many years later. Presented to the audience a fundamentally new possibilities of plastic. And all this for an incredibly short creative life that lasted only about ten years.
In 1971, Maurice Bejart dedicated his ballet to Nizhinsky. The production entitled "Nizhinsky, the clown of God" was performed to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
Nizhinsky was the main idol of his generation, a dancer who managed to combine lightness and power on stage, striking the audience with jumps, from which everyone was breathtaking. On stage, powerful magnetism emanated from him, while in ordinary everyday life he was a silent and timid person.
In 2011, in the foyer of the Bolshoi Theater in Warsaw, a bronze sculpture of a brother and sister - Wenceslas and Bronislava Nizzynski was installed in their famous images of Faun and Nymph in the famous production "Afternoon Faun Rest".