It is the centenary year of Vaslav Nijinsky, the greatest dancer of our century.
Born on February 28, 1889, the son of two Polish dancers, he traveled throughout Russia with them, living almost in poverty. Upon entering the Imperial School of Dance in Saint Petersburg, he immediately revealed prodigious talents. The decisive encounter of his life occurred in 1907, when he was noticed by Diaghilev during a performance of Fokine's "Le Pavillon d'Armide." Diaghilev was preparing the first touring season of the Ballets Russes in Western Europe for 1909, and Nijinsky would become its star.
In 1912, Nijinsky debuted as a choreographer with "L'Après-midi d'un faune," the first grand milestone on his journey towards renewing ballet language. In 1913, he created "Le Sacre du Printemps," marking a historic date in the evolution of contemporary music and choreography. Meanwhile, the Ballets Russes had secured a dominant position in European cultural activities. In this triumph and expressive revolution, Vaslav represented a fundamental component.
1913 was also the year of his separation from Diaghilev, marking the beginning of his decline. Nijinsky vainly attempted to form his own company. He was increasingly beset by severe mental disturbances, eventually isolating himself from the world in a sort of mystical exaltation close to madness. He died in 1950 in London.
His Diary, a cruel and obsessive testimony of his schizophrenic vertigo, was published and translated worldwide. Nijinsky became a myth, an emblem of the "other," of creativity and art pushed to the extreme. In retrospect, his extraordinary power as an innovator of classical-academic language has emerged and been revealed.
Oriente Occidente pays homage to this "human creature in a lyrical state" (in Paul Claudel's words) with an evening dedicated to Nijinsky. A series of choreographic "notes," the hint of a portrait, a thought, a trace. This anti-philological revisitation of the most tragic and visionary character in 20th-century ballet is by Virgilio Sieni, probably the most "experimental" and inventive among the exponents of new Italian dance today. A Florentine, member of the Parco Butterfly group, and strongly open to theatrical influences. This year, Sieni created a version of "Apollon Musagète" for the Balletto di Toscana, overturning every conventional perspective of the Stravinsky-Balanchine masterpiece.
Thus, Sieni, currently deeply interested in a reflection on the avant-gardes of the 20th century (not historicist, but deeply personalized), has been entrusted by the Rovereto Festival with the creation of a solo inspired by the figure of Nijinsky.
The small monographic section that Oriente Occidente dedicates to the most "oriental" among Western dance artists will continue with the film "She Dances Alone" and a conference by Eugenia Casini Ropa.
