Nijinsky's Diary (The Inner Monologue of a "God of Dance")

Author: Nijinsky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: These diaries written by Nijinsky six weeks before his 30th birthday represent the end of his career as a dancer and the beginning of his life as a psychiatric patient. These diaries can be regarded as a guide to human nature and a mandatory course, reflecting the legendary life of Nijinsky. Perhaps, those called "geniuses" all have a side of madness and witchcraft! In the history of 20th-century ballet, Nijinsky was renowned as the "greatest male actor." As a performing artist, he greatly elevated the status of male dancers with highly difficult techniques such as a single leap where his legs quickly crossed and struck 10 times in front and behind, and his resilient masculine demeanor. As a choreographer, his The Rite of Spring (1912) and The Firebird (1913) are widely recognized as early masterpieces of modern ballet: the former broke taboos in ballet opera, and simply and naturally expressed the adolescent turmoil and ancient human fetishism of youth, while the latter overturned the aristocratic elegance and stylized language of classical ballet, pioneering a vivid choreographic principle with feet turned inward, abrupt movements, and a focus on group dances, simply and clearly using sexual acts to symbolize the revival of life and the rebirth of the earth. All of this was unacceptable to the Parisian audience at the time, but it won unanimous praise from the art world and critics, and became a model for later choreographers to imitate.