Bronislava Nijinska

Bronislava Nijinska (8 January 1891 {O.S. 27 December 1890}, Minsk, Russian Empire — 21 February 1972, Pacific Palisades, California) was a Russian-American ballerina of Polish origins, influential choreographer and pedagogue, sister of Vaslav Nijinsky and Irina Nijinska's mother. With a prolific career lasting over 20 years, Nijinska came to international stardom with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, more engaged as a choreographer and stage producer since the 1920s. She toured extensively in the UK, Europe, and Northern and South Americas between 1925 and 1934, collaborating with notable impresarios, directors, and theaters, such as Teatro Colón, Opéra Russe à Paris, Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, Anton Dolin and Alicia Markova's "London Festival Ballet," the Hollywood Bowl, Jacob's Pillow, Max Reinhardt, and Le Marquis De Cuevas, and ran two ballet companies in Paris, Ballets Nijinska (1931) and Théâtre de la Danse Nijinska (1932–34). Bronislava Nijinska immigrated to the United States in 1939 and naturalized as a US citizen in 1949. She continued working as a choreographer and artistic director, dedicating most of her time to teaching. Name variations: Branislava Nižynskaja, Bronislava Fominichna Nijinskaya, B. Fominitshna Nizhinskaya, Бронислава Фоминична Нижинская, Браніслава Ніжынская. Born in Minsk, Russian Empire (now Belarus), Bronislava was the third child of touring Polish dancers; all children were baptized in Warsaw and grew up in Poland. Her elder brother, Vaslav Nijinsky (1889—1950), also became a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer. Broni and Vaslav took initial training from their parents, who ran a full-time dance studio for adults and children. Circa 1900, nine-year-old Bronislava began taking lessons with a famous Italian pedagogue Enrico Cecchetti. Following Vaslav's footsteps, Nijinska attended the Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg, graduating with honors in 1908. The same year, Bronislava made her stage debut with Mariinsky Ballet in Michel Fokine's Les Sylphides. Broni Nijinska joined Ballets Russes company in 1910, debuting in Fokine's Carnaval production, with the "Papillon" role specifically written for her. Bronislava assisted Vaslav Nijinsky with his controversial L'Après-midi d'un faune choreography, which premiered at Théâtre du Châtelet in May 1912. The following year, Broni again aided her brother with equally contentious Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, which saw unprecedented public unrest during the premiere (mostly on behalf of provocative costumes and Nijinsky's extremely unconventional choreography). Bronislava Nijinska quit Ballets Russes after discovering her pregnancy. In 1914, she joined a short-lived Saison Nijinsky company established by her brother Vaslav and based at the London Palace Theatre. Bronislava returned to Russia with her husband the following year, living in Saint Petersburg and Kiyv; Nijinska split her time between dancing and working independently to design and stage her first choreographical productions. After the 1917 revolutions, life in Russia became too unpredictable and tumultuous, and Bronislava Nijinska expatriated in 1921. She reunited with Ballets Russes, appointed by Diaghilew as a choreographer. Nijinska created several cutting-edge and critically acclaimed ballets over the next four years, most notably Stravinsky's Les noces.