L. Roosen. Photograph of Nijinsky in Giselle, Paris, 1910. Roger Pryor Dodge Collection, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Jean Cocteau. Poster for the 1911 Ballet Russe season showing Nijinsky in costume for Le Spectre de la Rose, Paris, 1911. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

At the turn of the 20th century, most of the ballet companies in Europe maintained a similar repertory of full-evening, plotted works. Mikhail Fokine had attempted to revolutionize the Imperial Ballet at the Maryinsky by creating short, un-related ballets that could be grouped for an evening’s entertainment. The management of the Imperial Ballet did not support him, but Diaghilev did and adopted the practice of programming shorter, separate works. Today, most ballet and even modern dance performance follows this format. The impressario’s decision meant that most of the works that Nijinsky performed were created specifically for him – by Fokine or by Nijinsky himself. The only work from the 19th century standard repertory was Giselle, as staged and revised by Fokine for Nijinsky and his frequent partner, Tamara Karsavina.

The Fokine works for Nijinsky, as documented in photography, can be divided into two groups. One set refers to the 19th century traditions of ballet and romance. His Pavillon d’Armide, Les Sylphides, and Spectre de la Rose are reflections of the mid-century Romantic ballet’s concern with dreamers and the ideals that appear to them. Le Spectre de la Rose reverses the usual theme by showing that a woman’s dreams can elicit the spirit of the Rose.

Although those works were admired (and Les Sylphides became standard repertory), the reputation of the Ballets Russes was based on the other Fokine repertory – the works inspired by Orientalism. Nijinsky’s power and clarity of movement can be seen in the photographs of Les Orientales, Le Dieu Bleu and, especially, Schéhérazade. Ballet audiences were shocked and delighted by the poses based on dance traditions from Asia, Persia and archaic Greece. The colors and patterns used in Leon Bakst’s decors changed the palette of art and fashion in Western Europe and the United States. They make the gallery dance – we can only imagine the impact on the audience.

Arthur Grunenberg. Etching of Nijinsky in Schéhérazade, Berlin, undated. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

The abiding masterpiece of the Diaghilev/Fokine/Nijinsky collaboration is Petrouchka, to a score by Igor Stravinsky and scenario by designer Alexandre Benois (1911). It plays with issues of life and death, stage fantasy and reality, while seeming to present authentic Russian folk culture. Set at a Russian Fair, crowds shop, socialize and gather to be entertained by the Charlatan’s three puppets – a Moor, a Ballerina and Petrouchka, Nijinsky’s role. The second and third scenes take place inside the booth theater, where the puppets come to life. Their romantic triangle results in the Moor chasing Petrouchka to the front of the booth, but before the audience sees his slaughter, the activity of the fair fills the stage. Finally, to the shock of both the on-stage and real audience, the Moor kills Petrouchka. As the crowds disperse, he briefly returns to life to terrify the Charlatan. Nijinsky elicited acclaim and awe for his ability to portray a puppet with enough spirit to defy death. Photographs of this role show him inhabiting the role, not disguised by the makeup.

Dover Street Studio. Photograph of Nijinsky in Petrouchka, London, 1911.Roger Pryor Dodge Collection, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts	Mishkin. Photograph of Nijinsky in Petrouchka, New York, 1916. Roger Pryor Dodge Collection, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts