How Did Nijinsky Contribute To Modernism

Nijinsky's Contribution to Modernism Vaslav Nijinsky was a famous dancer turned choreographer with the Russian ballet company the Ballets Russes during the early 1900's (Nijinsky). Though he spent only a few short years as a choreographer with the Ballets Russes, Nijinksy helped propel ballet into the modern era with a new form of movement that would influence dancers for many, many generations to come. Nijinsky's presentation of new sexual identities held within the choreography of his ballets subverted the norms of accepted western gender code, which not only forever changed the face of dance as we knew it but became part of a larger conversation of sexual identities in the early 20th century. In order to better understand the significance
With his groundbreaking themes presented through ballet, Nijinsky was in effect inserting himself into a larger world conversation about sexual identities. The androgyny of Nijinsky's characters merged the vast chasm of perceived differences between the male and female sex, symbolically connecting the two (Karthas 982). This connection made by Nijinsky in his choreography mirrors the actual groundbreaking scientific study about sex and gender that was happening at the time. In 1896 a German doctor named Magnus Hirschfeld began scientific research on sexuality; in particular he focused on the idea that there weren't simply two sexes, but that there were many different blended examples that could define a persons sexuality (Djajic-Horvath). In 1897, Berlin saw the founding of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, a group who were advocating the rights of homosexual individuals (Levy). Later, in 1919, Hirschfeld opened the first official institute for the study of sexology (Djajic-Horvath). All of these changes were happening in another country, but the fact that people from different cultures could still share the same ideals shows us how connected to one and other we truly
His physical and technical abilities helped restore ballet's reputation and credibility as an art form in the eyes of the people. If it weren't for Nijinsky, ballet might have been lost forever. He also completely redefined the movements associated with ballet, by liberating them from the constraints of the five position classical method. These newer more modern body positions continue to be used to this day. The themes presented in his ballets broke boundaries by presenting new images of sexual identity. Nijinsky used the art of ballet as a venue to voice his thoughts and opinions on gender ideology. In doing so, he contributed to the expression of the collective thoughts of forward thinking individuals in his generation. Nijinksy's story is one that reminds us of how great an impact art and personal expression can have on the world around us. That one man could have contributed so much in such a short period is truly