Scandalist, “god of dance” and... A few words about the life and work of Wacław Niżyński

Although the career of Wacław Niżyński did not last long, he nevertheless became a legend. A graduate of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater School of Ballet, star of the Russian Ballets Diaghilev, choreographer of the groundbreaking ballets “Spring Festival” by Stravinsky and “Afternoon of the Fauna” by Debussy. He was hailed as the most outstanding dancer of the 20th century, called the “god of dance”, “bird man” and “eighth wonder of the world”.

On the other hand, the private biography reveals the difficult fate and complicated identity of Niżyński. He is above all an unobvious nationality — the son of a couple of Polish dancers, born in Kiev, baptized in the Catholic Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, and raised in the Russian Empire. Since childhood, he has been secretive and silent. In the queer biography of the artist with homosexual romances and influential lovers, the marriage to the Hungarian aristocrat Romola Pulszky, with whom he had children, was adjacent. Niżyński lived in his own world, and his later mental problems posed quite a challenge to Carl Gustav Jung or Sigmund Freud.

Niżyński's life and work is a source of scandals, but also an inspiration for other artists. Nijinsky was sung by Mallarmé, Cocteau, Sierow, Bakst and Chaplin. He became the hero of books, films, plays and paintings — among others by Karol Radziszewski (including works presented in the exhibition “Idols of the Perversion of Zofia de Ines”).

What keeps Nijinsky inspiring? The meeting will introduce the extraordinary life and work of Wacław Niżyński, especially groundbreaking roles and scandalous choreographies. It will also be an opportunity to delve into the intimate reflections of the artist, which he included in his diaries.

The meeting will be hosted by Viktoria Formella