Vaslav Nijinsky

Nijinsky, Vaslav (1890–1950), Russian ballet dancer. His career began in St. Petersburg in 1907. His outstanding technique and magnetic stage presence contributed greatly to the impact of Russian ballet in the West when Sergei Diaghilev brought a company to Paris in 1909. With Diaghilev's encouragement, Nijinsky devised original choreography, based on Greek vase paintings, for Claude Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun. Mental illness ended his career in 1919.

See also: Ballet.