Nijinsky, Vaslav

views updated

Nijinsky, Vaslav (1890–1950) Russian dancer, often regarded as the greatest male ballet dancer of the 20th century. Dancing with the Ballets Russes, his most noted roles were in Petrushka, Les Sylphides, and Scheherazade. From 1912, Nijinsky choreographed such ballets as L'Après-midi d'un faune, Jeux, Le Sacre du printemps for Diaghilev, and Stravinsky's The Rites of Spring (1913), the last of which outraged Parisian audiences.

More From encyclopedia.com