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Birth of Vaslav Nijinsky
Nijinsky was born into a Polish family of soloist dancers and was christened in Warsaw, Poland. -
Joined Imperial Ballet School
Nijinsky joined the Imperial School of Dancing in St, Petersburg and began to study the art of dance underneath his brother. After a year, he became a boarder at the school and began taking part in classical ballets such as the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. -
Awards, along with Expulsion
Nijinsky was highly rewarded for his excellence by teacher Mikhail Oboukhov, giving him leading parts in school dance performances. He began to study music and playing the flute, balalaika, and accordion. Although he was an outstanding student, his rambunctiousness caused him to become expelled from school. Nijinsky was accused of shooting catapults at passers on the streets. -
Caught in Bloody Massacre in St. Petersburg
Nijinsky was caught in the Bloody Massacre of 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the midst of the crowd, soldiers opened fire and caused 1,000 casualties. Nijinsky fled crowd, but was charged by Imperial cavalry troops, leaving Nijinsky with a head wound. -
Graduation; the Start of his Career
Nijinsky performed his final performance in school at his graduation debut, where he was asked to partner with Mathilde Kschessinska from the Imperial Ballet. He graduated with outstanding excellence in art, dance, and music—he was second rank in his class. September of the same year, Nijinsky was employed at Mariinsky Theater, earning a salary of 780 roubles. -
Paris Tour of 1909
Nijinsky began to construct a team of designers, composers, painters, and other ballet dancers for the Paris Tour of 1909. He was asked to perform a new form of ballet for the program. With little time to decide, a popular dance called Le Festin was chosen with Nijinsky as one of the principal dancers. The program was successful and was known for setting new trends in dance, art, music, and fashion. Nijinsky made a lasting mark for his expression, strength, elevation, and dramatics during tour. -
Dismissed from Imperial Ballet
Nijinsky danced in Giselle for the Imperial Ballet in 1911 at Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. HIs costume was specially designed by Benois; Nijinsky wore dancing tights without any form of trousers. This caused a scandal in which he refused to apologize for. Because of this sense of pride, Nijinsky was dismissed from Imperial Ballet. Although this seemed unfortunate, this allowed him to dedicate his time solely on Ballet Russes. -
Nijinsky as Choreographer
Nijinsky became a creative choreographer of new modern dancing starting around 1912. He presented his dances beginning in 1912 with the performance of Lapres-midi dun Faune; 1913 with Jeux; and 1916 with Till Eulenspiegel. His inappropriate scenes caused an uproar in Paris. Riots began in the Theatre de Champs-Elise’s. -
Marriage
Nijinsky became engaged to Ramola on a ship in 1912, after she pursued him for quite some time. The ship landed in Buenos Aires and the two got married instantly on September 10th of 1913. After marriage, Nijinsky was dismissed by Ballet Russe since Diaghilev did not support employees whom were married. Since he had been dismissed from both Imperial Ballet and Ballet Russe, he began expressing himself as an experimental dancer. -
Birth of Company and Child
Nijinsky sought to create his own dance company with the help of his sister, Bronia, and brother-in-law. The company’s opening performance took place in March of 1914. Months after, in June of 1914, Nijinsky and Ramola birthed a daughter, Kyra. This was the start of WWI, which put a strain on the dance company and family. -
Arrival in the United States
Nijinsky made an agreement to tour his dancing and choreographing in the United States in 1916. He arrived in New York in April of 1916, but his gruesome dancing did not appeal any greater to Americans as it did Europeans. After touring through fall, Nijinsky returned to Europe and was paid a high salary for management of a new dance company -
Unfortunate Diagnosis
Nijinsky was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1919, after expressing his fear of future confinement and hospitalization through the art of drawing. His family and doctor, particularly Romola, realized his pain and admitted him into Bellevue Sanatorium. -
Last Solo Appearance
Nijinsky performed his last public solo in January of 1919. The dance he performed represent great sadness, anger, and a little joyfulness. These expressions were his interpretation of feelings towards WWI. -
Birth of Second Child
Nijinsky and Romola became parents to a second daughter, Tamara, in 1920. Tamara never saw her father dance. Nijinsky traveled through multiple hospitals and asylums for the next 30 years of his lifetime. -
Dancing Once More
Nijinsky encountered a group of Russian soldiers in 1945 after the war finally came to an end. The soldiers were playing music, which inspired him to begin dancing. Along with dancing, Nijinsky began to speak again after years of being mute due to his illness. -
Move to England
Nijinsky’s family moved to England in 1947. They now began living in Virginia Water, Surrey. -
Death
Nijinsky experienced kidney failure in a clinic in London on April 8th of 1950. He passed away due to this and was buried in London, Paris.