Black Swan's Condition

Photo Credit: Vaslav Nijinsky as Prince Albert from "Giselle", Ballet, Paris, 1910 

Bronislava Nijinska recounts her brother having a serious love and considering marriage but their Mother sees through the disguise of the supposed love of her son as just someone who wants to help their career while toying with her son's affection. Bronislava Nijinska recounts this event in her own words.

 

 "In an apartment on the same floor as ours lived a ballet artist, Anna Domershikova. Mother was surprised to notice Vaslav going to visit our neighbor and taking flowers, boxes of chocolates, and French pastries. I became curious too when I came home for the weekend and saw that each of his visits was lasting longer  than the one before."

"I learned from Vaslav that the real attraction was not Domershikova but her very close friend, the beautiful Maria Gorshkova. During the summer Gorshkova also had been dancing at Krasnoe Selo, and she and Vaslav had met there often."

"Vaslav had known Maria since 1905, the year she had graduated, when he had danced with her in the Annual Student Performance."

"Gorshkova was two years older than Vaslav, and her ambition was to obtain the position of ballerina. To this end she followed Anna Pavlova like a shadow, claiming to be one of her admirers but in fact seeking Pavlova's influence for the furtherance of her own career."

"Mama was concerned when she realized how often Vaslav saw Gorshkova. She talked to him one day when they were having tea together and tried to warn him against getting too involved."

"Vaslav was furious and declared he loved Maria and was going to marry her." 

"But Mama told me later that she did not think Gorshkova was sincere, and so she had said to Vaslav,

"Gorshkova cannot be serious about you and your love, an eighteen-year-old boy. She is only trying to turn your head for the sake of her career. You will see. One day you will try to take her in your arms and she will make it a condition for her love that she dance with you."

"Vaslav became very pale and tense; he gripped the heavy cut-crystal glass so hard that it cracked and spilled tea all over the tablecloth."

"Not long afterwards we noticed that Vaslav's visits next door had stopped. Nothing was said at the time, but later Vaslav casually mentioned to Mama.

"Mamaoussia, how right you were about Maria. It happened exactly the way you said it would. I had my arms around her and was about to kiss her when she coyly whispered,"Vatsa, promise me that you will insist on dancing a pas de deux with me...."

"Now I am cured of love. Mamoussia, will you forgive me for the bitter time you went through." - Quote from Vaslav Nijinsky

   Quote of passage from Bronislava Ninjinska recounting the event where Vaslav Nijinsky met the real Odile. 

It was interesting to see how this scenario mirrors some of the story of Swan Lake.  Gorshkova like Odile the Black Swan made a condition to Nijinsky for their love just as Odile did to the Prince Siegfried. Gorshkova was toying with Nijinsky feelings just as Odile toyed with the Siegfried feelings. Both men were blinded by love and being deceived by the women that had no mutual feelings only their hidden agendas.

I am curious when Nijinsky performed the Prince's role in Swan Lake if he used that experience to do that role. Also because Nijinsky knew Pavlova it does make one wonder if Gorshkova targeted Nijinsky deliberately since she wanted to get in the good graces of the Swan, Anna Pavlova to better her dancing career.  Could it be even more Odile/Black Swan when Nijinska said Gorshkova was Anna Pavlova's shadow?