In 1939, Serge Lifar, dancer of the Ballets Russes and at that time principal ballet master of the Paris Opéra, came to visit the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who was undergoing treatment in a psychiatric clinic

In 1939, Serge Lifar, dancer of the Ballets Russes and at that time principal ballet master of the Paris Opéra, came to visit the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who was undergoing treatment in a psychiatric clinic. By 1939 Vaslav Nijinsky had been ill for almost 20 years. The ballet dancer suffered from a mental disorder, diagnosed by the doctors who observed him as schizophrenia.

Lifar intended to dance for Nijinsky the finest roles from his ballets, in yet another attempt to rouse Nijinsky from his illness. A separate room was cleared for the performance, in which Lifar danced for several hours. At one moment Nijinsky rose to his feet and leapt. The photographer present managed to capture that moment. The photograph entered history under the title “The Last Leap of Vaslav Nijinsky”.

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In 1939, Serge Lifar, dancer of the Ballets Russes and at that time principal ballet master of the Paris Opéra, came to visit the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who was undergoing treatment in a psychiatric clinic

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