She was the sister who made her famous brother Vaslav look ordinary. A choreographic genius who rewrote ballet's rigid language, Nijinska demanded women be more than delicate dolls on stage. Her new work for the Ballets Russes — especially "Les Noces" — transformed dance into raw, geometric storytelling. And she did it all while raising two children alone, choreographing between feeding and bathing, sketching movement diagrams on whatever scrap paper was nearest.
January 8, 1891
135 years ago
What Else Happened on January 8
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