The Art of Nijinsky

The Art of Nijinsky chronicles the artistic career and creative development of legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky through an examination of his performances, choreography, and personal artistic evolution. Author Richard Buckle draws from extensive research and contemporary accounts to reconstruct Nijinsky's contributions to early 20th century dance. The book focuses primarily on Nijinsky's work with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, documenting his major roles and the four ballets he choreographed during this period. Buckle analyzes Nijinsky's innovative dance technique and movement style using descriptions from critics, fellow dancers, and audience members of the era. Through careful study of photographs, sketches, reviews, and firsthand accounts, the text reconstructs the visual and kinetic elements of Nijinsky's performances and choreographic works. The inclusion of rare images and detailed performance records makes this a key historical document of ballet's modernist period. This biography illuminates how Nijinsky's radical artistic choices and boundary-pushing choreography challenged the established ballet traditions of his time. His story emerges as one of artistic revolution and the pursuit of new forms of balletic expression.

Readers note this book provides detailed visual analysis of Nijinsky's performances and dance style based on contemporary records and photos. The book centers more on Nijinsky's artistic achievements than his personal life. Liked: - Buckle's research and documentation of Nijinsky's specific dance movements and techniques - Historic photos and sketches included - Focus on dance analysis rather than sensationalized biography - First-hand accounts from those who saw Nijinsky perform Disliked: - Limited discussion of Nijinsky's later years and decline - Some found the technical dance descriptions hard to follow - Book now dated (published 1971) Reviews/Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (12 ratings) No Amazon reviews available From a dance historian on Goodreads: "Valuable for its compilation of eyewitness accounts and movement analysis, though newer biographies provide more complete context." Library Journal review excerpt: "Strong on artistic details but narrow in biographical scope."

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✦ Vaslav Nijinsky's famous diary, written during his mental decline in 1919, was kept hidden by his wife for decades and wasn't published until 1936, providing crucial insights that influenced Buckle's analysis of the dancer's art. ✦ Richard Buckle founded the influential Ballet Magazine "Ballet" in 1939 and served as its editor until 1949, establishing himself as one of the 20th century's most respected dance critics before writing this definitive work. ✦ The book includes descriptions of Nijinsky's groundbreaking choreography for "The Rite of Spring," which caused a riot at its 1913 premiere in Paris due to its radical, angular movements and revolutionary approach to classical ballet. ✦ Nijinsky performed for only eight years professionally (1909-1917) before his career was cut short by schizophrenia, making the detailed documentation in this book particularly valuable to dance history. ✦ The first edition of the book, published in 1971, featured rare photographs from private collections that had never before been seen by the public, including images from Nijinsky's personal archive.