Ballet Archives

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in the ballet "L'Oiseau de feu" ( The Firebird), Paris, 1910  Bronislava Nijinska discusses her brother Vaslav Nijinsky's first day as an artist which seem to meet the expectations he had. Nijinska recounts this in her own words. "During the summer, his first as an Artist, Vaslav did not seem very exuberant or excited, and Mama became worried that he was tiring from his daily journey to St. Petersburg and Krasnoe Selo." "What  Vaslav told me was he was unhappy among the flashy officer set surrounding the Artists. More than that, he was disappointed with the season at Krasnoe Selo and getting no joy or pleasure from performance, which he felt were only aimed to please the royal entourage and the officers of the Imperial Guards."- Quote from Bronislava Nijinska on her brother Vaslav Nijinsky first day on the job as an Artist. This is a big shift how Nijinsky felt about performances when he was a student. He said he felt ...

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in Afternoon Of The Fawn ballet in 1912   Now that Vaslav Nijinsky is graduated from the Imperial Ballet Theatrical School, Bronislava Nijinska recounts her brother no longer a student and dancing at Krasnoe Selo and attending ballet classes for Artists in the summer of 1907 in her own words. "Our dacha was on top of a hill overlooking Dudergoth. A narrow winding path led down to an unpaved road that went alongside the railroad tracks to Dudergoth Station. Every morning Vaslav would go either to St. Petersburg or to Krasnoe Selo, and as I sat finishing my breakfast by the window I could see him running down the hill, then walking briskly to the station." "Whenever it was rainy and the road became muddy, he walked carefully on the rails so as to keep his shoes out of the mud. If he was late or afraid that he might miss the train, he would jump from one railroad tie to the next with great agility and ease. I often watched him until he disappea...

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in the uniform of the graduating class of 1907 from Bronislava Nijinska's Early Memoirs Bronislava Nijinska describes her brother Vaslav Nijinsky preparing for his graduation from the Imperial Theatrical School and to the Graduation day and what that was like and how her brother felt about it in her own words.    "Before leaving St. Petersburg Father gave Vaslav one hundred rubles. This made us very happy, since now it would be possible to make plans for the summer and order the rest of Vaslav's equipment in time for his graduation." "Vaslav and Mama, whenever Vaslav was home on a Saturday or Sunday, had already made up a list of what he would need, both for his graduation and as an artist, Vaslav's first concern was not his everyday clothing but for his dancing clothes. He wanted everything ordered early enough so as to be sure that on the very day of his graduation he would be ready to start his work as an artist." "W...

                        Photo: Credit:Vaslav Nijinsky in the ballet Siamese Dance in Les Orientales, 1910 The day had finally come for the students of the Imperial Theatrical School. The students had been practicing and rehearsing for The Annual Student Performance. Both Vaslav Nijinsky and his sister Bronislava Nijinska performed. Nijinska recounts that memory here. "The day of the Annual Student Performance came: April 15, 1907. We were expecting  Father again, but he was late and missed the reception. He arrived only just in time for the evening performance, explaining that his train had been delayed." "The first ballet was Salanga, described in the program as "A Fantastic Ballet, " in one act, to the music of Peter Schenck and choreographed by Klavdia Kulichevskaya. Even though I was dancing in it, this ballet did not impress itself on my memory, neither the libretto nor the choreography. Nor did I care for the music, ...

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky in portrait, 1909 Bronislava Nijinska recounts the time her brother Vaslav Nijinsky stood up for her when no one else would she explains this whole situation in her own words.    "For her new ballet Salanga, music by Peter Schenck, Kulichevskaya had chosen her graduating student Lydia Soboleva to dance the title role, and Vaslav was also to dance in this ballet as Prince Sing, the only principal male role. "  "Rehearsals had begun sometime before, and all Kulichevskaya's graduating students were dancing important roles." "Frossia and I, though we both had our white dresses, were not given any solo in Salanga,  as we  were not graduating students. We were both placed in front of the other dancers and given the responsibility of leading them, so we were in about half  the scenes in the ballet." "Several scenes included the entire ensemble of forty-seven girls and seven boys, six little boys-- in their first year as stud...