Vaslav Nijinsky - Pioneer in Ballet Dancing - Research Paper Example

Vaslav Nijinsky Dancing is a social concept that has existed in society for a very long time. People across different ages have come up with different dance routines and styles to satisfy the diverse fan base that dance has. One of the most ancient forms of dancing is ballet dancing. This form of dancing is common with women. However, it is imperative to recognize that it has gradually become a unisexual form of dancing without any mockery to the male dancers. One of the pioneers of ballet dancing is Vaslav Nijinsky. It is important to go through the life and contributions of this man in the field of ballet dancing to understand the various concepts regarding it. Vaslav was born in the year 1890 in Kiev. Vaslav’s parents were both dancers that were well acclaimed. This was one of the factors that motivated Vaslav to join the dancing world. The family had its own dancing company where they recruited and trained dancers. Vaslav was a natural dancer and did not require a lot of training. The dancing company trained dancers that performed all over Russia with Vaslav tagged along almost all the events. This was the basis of his experience and he gained a lot of confidence due to facing large crowds at a very young age (Kassing 173). The breakthrough for Nijinsky came when he met up with Sergei Diaghilev. This was one of the most prominent people in the entertainment scene at the time and Nijinsky was fortunate to be linked to him. After a while, he joined his dancing group where he got to learn various dance styles. At first, Nijinsky was not sure of which dancing routine he would pursue and thus, with assistance and training, got to try different dances (Russes). After several trials, he got to decide that ballet dancing was his routine of choice and from there on, he indulged fully in this. Diaghilev took Nijinsky alongside other dancers to Paris for a performance. In this performance, Nijinsky pleased the crowd and got a standing ovation alongside with the other dancers since he was the lead in that particular routine. Le Pavillon d’Armide is one of the most acclaimed pieces that the character performed (Russes). This is a piece that he performed in Paris and gave him a huge positive applaud. His style was different from the people that had initially acted and danced in the piece. The reason for this is that Nijinsky was creative. It is also significant to know that he had the ability to relate actively with the audience. In the particular piece, Nijinsky would at times bend over so as to greet his audience while still maintaining the script. This made the crowd love him even more. During his performance, he incorporated several words that were not present in the initial script and made them fit in the role that he was playing. The additional words were English and French words that had been added in the respective dictionaries after the creation of the first play. Rather than using the initial words, he incorporated these words to relate better with the crowd and to make the piece look contemporary at the time despite the fact that it had been around since time immemorial. His ability to do this while sticking to the message that was intended made him genuine and particular in the field (Kassing 179). Another one of his successful works was in La Fille Mai Garde. The role that was accorded to him when performing this piece was a guarantee that he would capture the hearts of very many people (Russes). He was supposed to incorporate concepts of humor and flirtation, which he actually did in a manner that even his director had not foreseen. In the dancing and acting field, one of the concepts that capture the attention of the audience and adds flavor to a performance is humor. He managed to do this in an integral manner not to lose the storyline or mess up his dancing routine. Every time he performed this, the crowd always loved it laughing aloud and praising him. In this performance, he also had the responsibility of being flirtatious, which attracted very many female fans. The feast is another performance that Nijinsky did alongside Tamara Karsavina (Russes). Many people have praised this performance stating that the duo did an exceptional job that no other combination would have made. The reason as to why such comments always came up is due to the natural attribute of preparedness that Nijinsky had. Nijinsky believed in adequate preparation before a performance, and this was done by repeated training of the routines so as not to leave any chance for a blunder while on stage. Many dancers of the era took dancing simply and did not pay much attention to rehearsing. This style brought about by Nijinsky made him an even more outstanding performer and many people could actually book seats to his performances as far back as two months prior. This was a trait that he carried on and instilled in all his partners during performances where he could schedule different meetings in which they would discuss means by which to make the upcoming performance more consumer-friendly and consequently have an active audience (Anderson 31). History records Nijinsky as the individual that brought a revolution to choreographed ballets. The is due to the fact that he introduced different concepts and moves that previous dancers did not have. Lapres-midi dun Faune is one of the most successful ballet moves of the 20th century. This was a huge success for Nijinsky because he managed to pull together people of different races and occupations to watch this spectacle (Cass 81). One of the ways through which his performance was different from those of fellow performers was with regard to themes. Many people at the time were satisfied with their current conditions and often made plays and dances that reflected the issues that the society was going through at the time. This is a negative factor as those ages were coupled with many negative issues and people could turn to theatres in an effort to put their minds off the problems that they were dealing with. Nijinsky was determined to have people that attended his performance pleased and leaving the theatre in a better mood than they had got in. It is for this reason that his creative mind had him set up plays and dance choreographs that were seemingly unrealistic at the time but pleasing to the audience. In his dances, he incorporated futuristic dances much to the amazement of the audience and this earned him a lot of respect (Anderson 48). He also gained respect for he managed to keep people off their stressful issues and zealous at the same time. The audience got to witness futuristic forms of dancing and this was one fact that amazed them greatly. It is essential to recognize that regardless of the positive effects that these new dancing styles had, a group of people were against them deeming them explicit. Nijinsky receives recognition as an icon in the dancing scene and more precisely in the ballet form of dancing. The reason for this is that were it not for him, the contemporary forms of ballet dancing would not have come up due to fear of venture. Many people fail to achieve their full potential out of fear of venturing where they fear the repercussions of getting involved in particular methods of dancing. Nijinsky was different from the rest of the people and thus the reason as to why he succeeded in the particular field. The dancing routines that he took up were different in many aspects and this made his fans love him even more. With more people to follow in the steps of Nijinsky, ballet dancing and choreography will scale heights not yet established. Works Cited Anderson Jack. Ballet and Modern Dance: A Concise History. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2008. Print. Cass Joan. Dancing through History. New York: Prentice Hall, 1993. Print. Kassing Gayle. History of Dance: An Interactive Arts Approach. London: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Russes Deborah. Legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, 2009. Web. 5th February 2014 from http://www.russianballethistory.com/nijinskythelegend.htm Read More