Nijinsky's crime against grace : reconstruction score of the original choreography for Le sacre du printemps / by Millicent Hodson.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-205).

For more than seven decades, historians regarded Le Sacre du Printemps as the lost masterpiece of 20th century choreography. Despite this reputation, or perhaps because of it, no attempt was made to reconstruct the original dance during the lifetime of the choreographer. As well known as the music by Igor Stravinsky has become, relatively few people realized, until the 1987 reconstruction of this ballet, that it was first choreographed by the celebrated dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky. All the stylistic features of classical ballet in which he so excelled were reversed in his own choreography: Le Sacre used awkward, weighted postures and blunt, asymmetrical gestures. The steps were performed pigeon-toed. Virtuosity was replaced by an introverted physicality. Nijinsky followed closely the ritual scenario by Nicholas Roerich, the painter and archaeologist who also designed the decor and costumes.