Talk:Vaslav Nijinsky

message: Nijinsky was forced to be gay with Diaghlev or else he would have ended Nijinsky's career, i hope someone verifies that and make changes soon
As i am currently studying dance at Burton colluge i have been asked to write an essay about a male dancer, as part of an assignment. Therfore i choose Vaslav Nijinsky. I find him most facinating what he did with his life, and the huge effect he has on dancing nowadays. AS i am researching more into hoim i find him more interestiing every minute.
Nijinsky was NOT forced to be gay.....I dont know who put that statement up there but it is so far gone with ignorance its sick. Its almost funny. Accept it, the man WAS GAY! Mrlopez2681 05:34, 14 May 2006 
Nijinsky, and other young male Russian dancers of that era, were coerced into relationships with rich and aristocratic homosexuals whether they themselves were gay or not. It was considered a wise career choice, because their placement and scheduling in ballet companies often depended on the favor of the powerful. Richard Buckle has discussed this in detail in his biography of Nijinsky. Buckle believed Nijinsky's life and writings made it clear he was a bisexual who preferred women. 
Younggoldchip (talk) 15:09, 2 January 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: The claim that he was forced to be Diaghilev's lover is made in the memoirs of Nijinsky's wife Romola. Whether she was correct (or should be trusted) is another matter, but the statement is not "so far gone with ignorance it's sick." In his diaries Nijinsky describes many encounters with female prostitutes in detail, but does not explicitly discuss male lovers. David Sneek 17:46, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

text: Well go ahead and fix the article, Younggoldchip. Eliminate any bias and cite your sources. Good luck! Markhh (talk) 21:00, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

text: Um... Nijinsky was essentially forced to be gay with Diaghlev.  If anyone here bothered to read his diary or notebook, you should know that.  If you commentators bothered to study Diaghilev (Haskell, Buckle, Garafola, Karlinsky, Zlobin, etc), you would know more details about their sex lives.  Krasovska and Ostwald biographies are good, I suggest you at least read them.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.252.231.243 (talk) 06:21, 1 July 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The first edition of the 'diary' was hacked to pieces and rearranged by his wife, as evidence by the publishing more recently of an 'unexpurgated' version. So in discussing this, please consider which version we are talking about. Whatever reliance may be placed on notes made by someone in the process of being committed for insanity, over a six week period, is uncertain, but we can be clear Romola was not an impartial witness in what she wrote. Appart from her own feelings, apparently she was strapped for cash and needed a saleable story. In the diary Nijinsky says separately that he loves both his wife and Diaghilev. It also appears to detail feelings of betrayal by both, which could be indications of insanity but then again has some justification. I read some of the diary, and my conclusions were, firstly he was pretty mad when he wrote it, second, he certainly wasnt unwilling in his relationships. From what I have read thus far, it sounds to me as if he married Romola because he already believed Diaghilev was in the process of ditching him. Both were forceful characters capable of running his life for him, and I think this is exactly what he wanted. I dont know if he was right to run for cover with Romola and that Diaghilev really had abandoned him, but it sounds like the conflict in his feelings for Diaghilev after leaving him significantly contributed to his insanity. It seems possible far from being a tyrant, Diaghliev may have kept him sane while their relationship lasted. Sandpiper (talk) 07:50, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: discussion of the article

message: his major failing was that, being himself unable to form a satisfactory partnership with a woman, he was unsuccessful where such a relationship was important on-stage (in, say, Giselle).
This connection between Nijinsky's art and personality is so strange that it should have a citation. It is also less than superficially homophobic. Janko
Nijinsky was probably not gay--or, to be completely accurate, he was a bisexual who preferred women. His biographer Richard Buckle (who WAS gay) describes a cultural system in the early 19th century whereby homosexual Russian aristocrats felt entitled to help themselves to young male dancers. Of course, all the power was on the side of the aristocrats. Buckle describes what happened to the idealistic young Nijinsky by saying he was "passed around." As for Nijinsky's true feelings, his sister Bronislava Nijinsky has described in her memoir how as a youth he fell passionately in love with girls. He visited female prostitutes.  He appears to have freely and deliberately chosen his wife Romola, taking advantage of an ocean voyage during which he was out from under Diaghilev's thumb. They had a full and complete sexual life--Romola even recollecting later that she "felt she was with a god."
It would not be accurate to say he and Diaghilev were "lovers." They had a homosexual affair, which Nijinsky felt he had been pressured into. His diaries reveal that he regarded Diaghilev as physically repulsive.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Younggoldchip (talk • contribs) 21:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It is not exactly an unusual claim to say that Nijinsky was gay/bisexual - his sexuality/sensuality was and is a key part of his fame.http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/nijinsky/biography.htmlhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Queer-Afterlife-Vaslav-Nijinsky/dp/0804729506http://abacus.bates.edu/dancefest/ArtistNotes/dendy00.phphttp://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xx4f4vchttp://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:VPmhLzdLHawJ:www.washblade.com/advertising/eTearsheets/02-27-2004/054.pdf+Nijinsky+gay+neumeier&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari  So much so, that it is bizarre that the article makes absolutely no mention of this. Udibi (talk) 07:55, 4 December 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: The descriptions of Diaghliev sniping at his distasteful habits sounds a lot to me like someone in love who has been dumped getting back at his ex. Or, the degeneration which goes on as a relationship breaks down and lovers start to snap at each other. It does not sound to me as impartial, so certainly he feels a lot about Diaghliev. Sandpiper (talk) 08:08, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Strange and Unsubstantiated Claim

message: Hi all,
I've seen Nijinsky's tombstone in the cemetery in Paris and on it, it says that he was born in Kiev on December 28, 1889 (although this could be old style) and died on April 8, 1950 in London. The photo of the tombstone can be found here: 
http://photos10.flickr.com/13625804_7000399d07_b.jpg
Max
: Interesting.  It certainly isn't an old style/new style problem, since the old style equivalent of 12 March 1890 is 28 February 1890.  And the new style equivalent of 28 December 1889 is 9 January 1890.   It just seems to be a mistake (although it's possible that 28 December 1889 is both the wrong date and in the old style).  I must do some research on this.  Of course, this isn't the only case where a tombstone lists the wrong date/s for the person inside.  Karol Szymanowski's sarcophagus shows the wrong death date (out by one day).  JackofOz 01:45, 25 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for following up on this. I am not too surprised with these issues, as dates can be hard to track down, especially across such frontiers and time frames. And it further depends on who placed the tombstone. mno 16:08, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Birth date and place 

message: The Ballets Russes was a ballet company based in Paris (later Monte Carlo) of which Nijinsky was a member; please do not change this to "Ballets Polish"! Robert Greer (talk) 16:38, 11 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ballets Russes categories vs. non-existent Ballets Polish categories  

message: Judging by a quote (in Wikiquotes), his brother was mentally ill when Vaslav was just 18. Would be interesting to add more about this to the article. --CopperKettle (talk) 01:32, 19 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Did his brother suffer from a mental illness? 

message: It would be interesting for someone with broad medical knowledge of schizophrenia to discuss this question. The reason I raise the matter is because, as I understand it, schizophrenics usually begin to manifest symptoms when they're nineteen or twenty. All through his twenties Nijinsky was a highly functional and creative dancer, husband, father, and friend. He was thirty before he had a massive breakdown.Also, this happened after years of great frustration when he was essentially separated from the broader dance world by his dispute with Diaghilev. I have wondered if his breakdown was in part situational, and not because he was inherently unbalanced.            Younggoldchip (talk) 21:07, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Although 20-28 is the most common age range for diagnosis in males, diagnosis at later ages is still possible. The famous mathematician John Nash said his confused thoughts started when he was 31. I'm not saying this proves Nijinsky's diagnosis was correct, but it doesn't rule it out either. Schizophrenia can also relent in later years and this seems to have been the case somewhat with Nijinsky also. Markhh (talk) 21:15, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Although I am not a medical professional, I have some experience in this field. The problem may be that he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic. Maybe his symptoms were consistent with schizophrenia. But it is a well known fact that once a reputable doctor has diagnosed a patient, no other doctor is going to review that decision, unless they are absolutely sure that the diagnosis is wrong. By that time the patient will probably be medicated. But there are some things that have made me wonder. His brother suffered severe head trauma, as Nijinski did himself. I have heard him described as an idiot savant (which is a rare condition). The symptoms that are described are also consistent with severe depression. Maybe he just became depressed as he beacame older, fearing that the time had come when his body would no longer allow him to be the dancer he was. It is not uncommon that this is accompanied by severe paranoia (which in his case could probably be justified). It must also be noted that this all happened in a time when mental illness was not very well understood. I would agree with the original question, I think Nijinski suffered because of what happened to him (keeping in mind that he was probably a very complicated person) and not because he was inherently unbalanced. But in my mind he was very special (even if there was something wrong with him) and he should be remebered for that, not all the other BS. JHvW 22:42, 11 July 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Was Vaslav Nijinsky Accurately Diagnosed As A Schizophrenic? 

message: The traditional, Romantic shorthand has always been "Nijinsky went mad and spent the next 3 decades in asylums". But I was told many years ago by elderly ballet people that in fact he spent most of that time cared for at home in Surrey. Any sources on this either way? Also, is there a post-1920 photo anywhere? 72.209.63.226 (talk) 16:24, 28 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Last 30 years 

message: In the biography of his wife it appears clearly how after the bad understanding when important people of theatre know about the success nijinsky was offered a salary highest than other salary in history of the company of dancers equivalent to the highest opera singer, but Wazlav prefered the offer of Diaguiliev.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.6.35.69 (talk) 17:35, 24 November 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  dismissed  

message: Disclaimer: I know very little about ballet, but come to this from the musical side of things.   However, this paragraph (unsourced) seems to be very pro-Nijinsky in comparison with the account in Stravinsky's memoirs.  I realise that Stravinsky tended to be self-serving in his recollections, but this section probably still needs to be more nuanced.
Specifically:
- the paragraph starts by saying that Nijinsky took the creative reins; Stravinsky says essentially that it was it was Diaghilev who was determined to have Nijinsky become a choreographer, and portrays Nijinsky as rather passive.
- slew boundaries.  I can't quite imagine what slaying a boundary would mean; in any event, which boundaries?
- For the first time, his audiences were experiencing the futuristic, new direction of modern dance Really?   Stravinsky's line is that Nijinsky went astray in overcomplicating things (I dimly recall reviews of some revivals of Nijinsky's choreography saying the same thing).   Did Nijinsky's choreography represent "the new direction of modern dance"?
- The radically angular movements expressed the heart of Stravinsky's radically modern score.   Stravinsky says more or less the opposite: "What the choreography expressed was a very labored and barren effort rather than a plastic realization flowing simply and naturally from what the music demanded... Nijinsky was incapable of giving intelligible form to [the dance's] essence".
Thoughts? HenryFlower 07:38, 24 April 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  The paragraph about his choreography with Ballets Russes 

message: So, I can see how it became Ni-j-insky rather than Ni-zh-insky - that's the French influence.  
But what about this "Vaslav"?  In the Russian, Ukrainian and Polish versions, there's a "ts" sound where "s" is, which seems to have been totally overlooked.  Václav (Czech)/Wacław (Polish) is a Slavic name that has no counterpart in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian or any other European languages (the traditional English version is Wenceslas). It's hardly ever even encountered in Russian, except in people of Czech or Polish origin.  
When romanizing such names, the usual choice is between (a) absolutely literal transliteration - Vatslav from the Russian or Ukrainian Вацлав; or (b) using the native spelling if it uses the Roman alphabet.  The only language that fits that bill in Nijinsky's case would be Polish, i.e. Wacław, which could easily be rendered non-diacritically as Waclaw.  But what we actually have is Vaslav, which corresponds to a name in no language known to me, and is not a true representation of how Nijinsky would have pronounced his own name.  
Where did it come from and how did it become the standard spelling of his given name?  --  Jack of Oz [your turn] 21:32, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Diaghilev got his dancers to change their names to something russian sounding but easy for the locals. So even british people ended up with made up russian sounding names. Marketing, thats how. Sandpiper (talk) 23:20, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Romanization

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: According to the Jeux article, Diaghilev intended the music to describe a homosexual encounter between three young men, while according to this article, that was Nijinsky's idea, which was resisted by Diaghilev.  Which is correct? Dlabtot (talk) 15:38, 29 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jeux 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: He may have died in London but he was not buried in the city. I recall reading a souvenir Daily Express from the week of our present Queen's coronation (1953) that his body was exhumed from his initial grave at Virginia Water in Surrey for burial in Paris. Unfortunately the paper perished a long time ago so could not use the story as a citation reference.Cloptonson (talk) 19:55, 17 February 2021 (UTC)
thread_title: Initial burial place

message: Fix the pronouns 2A02:908:2054:8320:DCE1:31AF:E3CF:71F6 (talk) 12:03, 1 May 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Pronouns