Nijinsky's Disappointment

Photo Credit: Concert number "Lezginka" Vaslav Nijinsky from the Divertissement "Pir", 1909, Berlin

 

During 1907 Nijinsky was to dance the part of the Prince in Swan Lake with ballerina Anna Pavlova but he became ill and wasn't able to make the performance.  Pavlova instead finding a new partner decided to perform a solo, the  swan this  performance would be the most memorable and live on as one of her greatest performances. Nijinsky read about what the critics thought about the performance and he was happy for Pavlova and Fokine but was disappointed he couldn't be part of that success and he was disappointed he didn't get to  dance with Anna Pavlova. 

In my post about Nijinsky Dancing with Anna Pavlova please see https://balletarchives.blogspot.com/2021/03/nijinsky-and-pavlovas-almost-swan-lake.html for more about how that night he was sick went.

During Vaslav Nijinsky dealing with a cold Bronislava Nijinska asks him about his time in Moscow. Bronislava Nijinska recounts this memory in her own words.

"While Vaslav was recovering from his cold and fever I was able to ask him about the performance in Moscow. I had felt that he was somewhat disappointed and had not had the same successful reception that he was getting in St. Petersburg."

"He wondered of one explanation might be that Kulichevskaya's choreography of "Nocturne," while highlighting Kshessinska to be "a real prima ballerina... endowed with the gift to lend to each dance the appropriate characteristic  mood."

"Her wonderful partner, Nijinsky, greatly contributed to the success of this dance."

"Vaslav felt that the balletomanes and audience of the Bolshoi Theatre expected something different from a ballet performance than did the Maryinsky audience. He wondered whether the Muscovites preferred demonstrations of theatrical brilliance to refinement of dance technique."

"I asked him about the notice in the St. Petersburg Gazette after the performance of "Nocturne" in November, which said that Nijinsky would probably be Kshessinska's partner in Paris in February. He told me that she had indeed asked him to be her partner for the Paris engagement but it was not  until later in the spring."

"Vaslav asked me not to talk about it until it was officially announced as he expected it would anger Nikolai Legat,  Kshessinska's usual partner.- Quote from Bronislava Nijinska on her memory of her brother telling her Kshessinska has selected him as her dance partner.

"I am sure he did not help me with La Bayadere because he considers it 'his ballet' and he was resentful that Mathilda Felixovna had chose me to go to Moscow with her."- Quote from Vaslav Nijinsky, 1907 

"But, " I pointed out, "she doesn't always dance with Legat. Remember, last year she danced with Fokine in Moscow."- Quote from Bronislava Nijinska

"That's true. But I realized just how difficult Legat is being towards me when I saw how helpful Alexander Gorsky was in Moscow. He told me I should familiarize myself with every new stage, whenever I dance, and he helped me to do so with the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. You know, I get nothing out of the classes with Legat. I wish I could study more with Cecchetti. But now that our rehearsals for the Swan Lake pas de deux are finished I never know when Anna Pavlova is going to invite me to join her classes with him."- Quote from Vaslav Nijinsky, 1907 

           

One thing that does not seem to change from Nijinsky being a student at the Imperial Theatrical school to an Artist is that he still maintains an antagonistic relationship with Nikolai Legat. The ironic thing is though the one who always had Nijinsky's back and supported him when he was a student was Nikolai Legat's brother Sergei but for some reason Nikolai Legat treated Nijinsky as beneath him which I feel was more of jealousy because Nijinsky was a very talented and skilled dancer. 

 Kshessinska who was Legat's usual dance partner wanted to dance with Nijinsky this definitely did not sit well with Legat and just increased the tension between Legat and Nijinsky although his sister was trying to disagree with her brother Nijinsky keeps his mind on disliking Legat and I'm sure the feeling was mutual since Legat didn't seem like he wanted to support or encourage Nijinsky like his brother did. It's hard to say why Legat acted this way toward Nijinsky but it could have just been Nijinsky was a better dancer than him. 

It's interesting to note how from Nijinsky's own observations he sees great differences with the audience's reactions to the  performances in Moscow and St. Petersburg.  He felt that the Moscow audience expected something different from the dancers than what  St. Petersburg expected of them. He took note of these observations.

You also hear from Nijinsky how he wants to continue to learn from Cecchetti, Pavlova's teacher but he isn't very optimistic that Pavlova will invite him again which is probably why that night he seems very down while talking to his sister Bronislava.