Dancing genius : the stardom of Vaslav Nijinsky / Hanna Järvinen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Järvinen, Hanna, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nijinsky, Vaslav, 1890-1950.

Nijinsky, Vaslav.

Ballet dancers--Soviet Union--Biography.

Ballet dancers.

Soviet Union.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

vii, 325 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

"Dancing Genius is the first book-length critical study on Vaslav Nijinsky as a star dancer of the Ballets Russes company. Through looking into definitions of virtuosity, stardom and genius, Hanna Ja;rvinen contrasts contemporary materials from Russia, France, England and the United States with later, hegemonic interpretations. Nijinsky emerges as a celebrity figure whose dancing was attributed with genius in order to raise the prestige of the art form, but a figure also attributed with 'racial' characteristics in a thoroughly Orientalist manner. Tracing the historical figure in contemporary documents and later reminiscences, the book opens up questions about authorship in dance, about critical evaluation of performance practice, and the manner in which past events are turned into history"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

Introduction: A Genealogy

PART I: THE RUSSIAN INVASION

1. An Audience for Ballet

2. Orientalism

PART II: THE SILENT BODY OF A GENIUS

3. The Unique Genius

4. Male Beauty

5. Corporeality

6. The Mad Genius

PART III: A RUSSIAN BALLET?

7. The Old and the New Ballet

8. Revolutionary Exiles

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137407726

1137407727

OCLC:

869726181

Online:

Cover image