Corrections? Siblings Bronislava Nijinska and Vaslav Nijinsky … Her 1920s treatise on ballet, The School of Movement (Theory of Choreography), now lost to posterity, foregrounded the idea that movement is the essence of dance. Of the nine works she choreographed for Diaghlev in the 1920s, eight were to contemporary music. in the United States, although somewhat later, in many ways confirming that, her influence on dance had been felt far less in the United States than in Europe. Bronislava Nijinska in Petrushka, 1911. Her older brother was Vaslav Nijinsky. She danced with the Maryinsky for … After leaving the Mariinsky in 1911 to follow her younger brother, Vaslav Nijinsky, to Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, Nijinska carved out a stellar performing career for herself. In 1908 Nijinska joined the Imperial Ballet following in her brother's footsteps. Name variations: Bronislawa Nijinskaya or Nijinskaia; (nickname) Bronia. It was in the 1940s when American choreographer George Balanchine developed abstract ballet in earnest, but the notion of abstract ballet, in contrast to narrative dance, can be traced back two decades earlier with the emergence of Nijinska’s “plotless” compositions, which paired dance movements of a more interpretive style to the lyrical music of romantic composers. In her first year she performed Fokine's Les Sylphides, where she directly experienced Fokine's choreographic vision. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In 1895, at age 4, she made her theatrical debut together with … Marriage and pregnancy precluded Nijinska from starring in some of Diaghlev’s ballets, much to the dismay of her brother, but where her brother’s creative life was cut short by deteriorating mental and physical health, Nijinska’s endured alongside family life, until she had made her mark on both sides of the Atlantic. Ballet was no different, and dancer and choreographer Bronislava Nijinska, a Minsk-born Pole, was an instrumental force in redirecting the choreographic cannon towards a vision of process and motion. Omissions? It only took place three years before her death, by which time a minimal and abstract style of dance had firmly entered the mainstream. Like her older brother, Vaslav Nijinsky, Nijinska was associated with Les Ballets Russes, the company started by Serge Diaghilev that presented modernist and revolutionary dance. She choreographed several ballets for the company, including Les Noces (1923), The Blue Train (1924), and Les Biches (1924). His older brother Stanislav and younger sister Bronislava "Bronia" Nijinska also became dancers; Bronia also became a choreographer, working closely with him for much of his career. Bronislava Nijinska Collection, Library of Congress. Nijinska is at pains to stress that her brother was not only an exceptional technician but also a great creative artist. In an era where static positions were the marrow of classical dance, Nijinska envisioned a modernist ballet, one which saw focus shift towards the movement which connected these positions. Source for information on Nijinska, Bronislava (1891–1972): Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia dictionary. Bronislava Nijinska, the younger sister of the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, famed for his mesmerizing performances and shocking choreography, was a key figure in 20th century ballet. Instead he'd set off with daring to explore the neighborhoods and test his physical limits. At the School of Movement in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nijinska’s progressive but short-lived dance institution founded during her first break with Diaghlev in 1919, she could teach according to her principles, privileging abstraction and continuous motion in dance. She danced with the Ballets Russes in Paris from 1909, as did her brother, Vaslav Nijinsky. For Nijinska, motion became more important. After a hiatus from Diaghlev’s company during the First World War and Russian Civil War, Nijinska returned to Paris and was appointed the company’s choreographer. The production demonstrated to dancers, designers, and musicians that successful multidisciplinary culture can imbue work with a higher production value, and even after a rift between Nijinska and Cocteau precipitated Nijinska’s departure from the Ballet Russe the next year, such collaborations continued in Paris for many years. )11 Ivásk loved the chapter on Diaghilev.‘Ineversawhim,butnowIseehim:youbringhimtolife.’12 However, nothing came of this venture, and Mosty itself went out of existence in 1970.13 Despite her pioneering choreography, Nijinska’s legacy is often overshadowed by that of her brother, ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. Bronislava Nijinska Collection, Library of Congress. Bronislava Nijinska was born in Minsk, the third child of the Polish dancers Tomasz and Eleonora Bereda Niżyńsky. Choreographed by Nijinska, the Ballet Russe production had an almost all-star playbill; the music was composed by Darius Milhaud, one of the Montparnasse-based legendary group of composers “The Six”; the ballet libretto was devised by filmmaker Jean Cocteau; the scenery by sculptor Henri Laurens; and the dancers’ wardrobe designed by Coco Chanel. Feb 4, 2021 - Bronislava Nijinska Giclee Print. Even when choreographing more traditional scores, Nijinska never employed the classical ballet tropes. . At the School of Movement in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nijinska’s progressive but short-lived dance institution founded during her first break with Diaghlev in 1919, she could teach according to her principles, privileging abstraction and continuous motion in dance. Nijinska studied ballet at the school of the Maryinsky Theater of Saint Petersburg, along with her celebrity brother, Vaslav Nijinsky. Plaudits for the choreographer still flowed. It was in the 1940s when American choreographer George Balanchine developed abstract ballet in earnest, but the notion of abstract ballet, in contrast to narrative dance, can be traced back two decades earlier with the emergence of Nijinska’s “plotless” compositions, which paired dance movements of a more interpretive style to the lyrical music of romantic composers. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. Her brother was Vaslav Nijinsky. , a Diaghlev commission scored by Igor Stravinsky and performed in 1923, is to see Nijinska’s dance philosophy in action. editors held back for a second volume that never materialized) but conceived it as an escape narrative whose overriding theme was rejoining her brother, Vaslav Nijinsky, in the West rather than an account of … Later in life, Nijinska’s contributions to performance and choreography would be dominated by her brother’s, but at the turn of the century, the pair both joined the Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg, briefly graduating from the Imperial Ballet (now known as the Mariinsky) in 1908 before leaving together for Paris to join the Ballet Russe. An artist of prodigious talent, Vaslav’s dancing career was cut short by mental illness, but he remains remembered as one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century. Her father, Foma Lavrentevich Nijinsky, and her mother, Eleonora Bereda, were both professional dancers. Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) was a dancer, teacher, and a significant artist in the development of twentieth-century ballet choreography. In 1938 she moved to Los Angeles, where she opened a school, and she continued to work as a guest choreographer into the early 1960s. The radical perspectives of the time cut across almost every form, inviting deep and unexpected collaborations, evidenced by the 1924 production of The Le Train Bleu (The Blue Train). When she describes him from this point of view, her normally terre-à-terre writing begins to soar. She was one of three siblings and the sister of the famous ballet dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky.. Today is the birthday (1891 [O.S. Nijinska/79 Bronislava Nijinska in the uniform of the Imperial Theatrical School, 1908. Her 1920s treatise on ballet. She was just 4 years old when she made her theatrical debut in a Christmas pageant with her brothers inNizhny Novgorod. Following serious home training, in 1900 she entered at the age of nine the state ballet school in the Russian capital, the same state-sponsored school for performing arts her brother Vaslav had entered two … Later in life, Nijinska’s contributions to performance and choreography would be dominated by her brother’s, but at the turn of the century, the pair both joined the Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg, briefly graduating from the Imperial Ballet (now known as the Mariinsky) in 1908 before leaving together for Paris to join the Ballet Russe. Alexandra Exter’s 1921 curtain design, Moscow. … Nijinsky had only just entered the Maryinsky Company when he was given the Blue Bird pas de deux in The Sleeping Beauty. claim.3 Not only is this the first exhibition devoted wholly to Nijinska, but it is the first to sugges t the breadt h of her career and the magnitude of her artistic achievement. She was to be the original "Chosen On… For Nijinska, motion became more important. Nijinska helped her brother choreograph some of the Ballet Russes’ earliest controversial works: premiered in Paris in 1912, and 1913 ballet. During her lifetime she was overshadowed by her brother Vaslav Nijinsky. Like her brother, Vaslav, Bronislava was enrolled in the ballet school of the Maryinsky Theater and graduated in 1908. In Nijinska's memoir several times she describes that Vaslav from a young age followed his overwhelming curiosity. Ultimately, Nijinska received at least some of her due. The daughter of two Polish dancers, Bronislava Nijinska was born in Minsk on 8 January 1891, and accompanied her parents to shows across provincial Russia even as a baby. In 1921, Nijinska left Kyiv and returned to Diaghlev in Paris for what would be a golden age of collaborative avant-garde cultural production. Towards the end of her life, back in Europe she took up a few directorships, including at the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden, London in 1963. Théâtre Chorégraphiques Nijinska, for which she employed the skills of Russian avant-garde artist Alexandra Exter. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Jan 4, 2014 - Bronislava #Nijinska was the sister of the legendary #Nijinsky. ‘I never knew how Vaslav, only 18 years old, persuaded the … To look at Nijinska’s dark choreography of Les Noces (The Wedding), a Diaghlev commission scored by Igor Stravinsky and performed in 1923, is to see Nijinska’s dance philosophy in action. Nijinska was not with her brother when he married Romola de Pulszky on the South American tour of the Ballets Russes. Bronislava Nijinska was the third child of the Polish dancers Tomasz [Foma] Nijinsky and Eleonora Nijinska (maiden name Bereda), who were then traveling performers in provincial Russia. The Nijinsky name, however, does not belong to him alone. Bronislava Nijinska joined Sergei Diaghilev's pioneering Ballets Russes troupe in the early years of the 20th century and later became an innovative choreographer in her own right. In 1921, Nijinska left Kyiv and returned to Diaghlev in Paris for what would be a golden age of collaborative avant-garde cultural production.