Vaslav Nijinsky

Born

1889-03-12

Died

1950-04-08

Birthplace

Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]

Biography

Vaslav Nijinsky (12 March 1889 - 8 April 1950) was a male dancer considered among the greatest of the 20th century. He is closely associated with the Ballet Russes and the influential pieces he choreographed from them including L'après-midi d'un faune (1912) and Le Sacre du Printemps (1913). Nijinsky is also known for the diary he kept from January to early March 1919 where he wrote about his struggles with schizophrenia before being hospitalized.