Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Vaslav Nijinsky (French transcription; Polish: Wac aw Ni y ski; Russian: / Vatslav Fomich Nizhinskiy; March 12, 1890 - April 8, 1950) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations. He could perform en pointe, a rare skill among male dancers at the time (Albright, 2004) and his ability to perform seemingly gravity-defying leaps was also legendary. The choreographer Bronislava Nijinska was his sister.