Waslaw Nijinsky was born in Warsaw, the son of two professional dancers. At nine years he transferred to St Petersburg Imperial ballet and was then headhunted by the impresario Serge Diaghilev, where he became the lead dancer of his forward-looking ballet company.. His skill and grace were undeniable and when the company first visited Britain in the early 1900s the London audiences had seen nothing comparable and were spellbound. Nijinsky was famous for his ability to almost hover in the air, and his technical brilliance.
