Between 1912 and 1916, Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed four works for the Ballets Russes. These works (L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune, Jeux, Le Sacre Du Printemps, and Til Eulenspiegel) were radical innovations in the world of dance choreography. Serge Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes, had a strong influence on this contribution by Nijinsky. In addition to making Nijinsky a star, Diaghilev provided the young dancer with his first opportunity to work as a choreographer. Diaghilev was a teacher and homosexual lover to Nijinsky, as well as his employer. The influence of Diaghilev on Nijinsky's career was so powerful, it can be said that he served as "a kind of father figure" to the dancer (Ostwald, 1991, p. 55). In fact, Diaghilev tended to provide this role for most of the young male artists that he worked with. By introducing young dancers to artistic influences, Diaghilev sought "to give them the benefits of his own rich cultural heritage" (p. 33). Prior to joining the Ballets Russes, Nijinsky had already established himself as an accomplished dancer. However, it was under Diaghilev's guidance that Nijinsky first became aware of the artistic ideas that would become so important in his choreography (Garafola, 1989, p. 54). In many ways, Diaghilev was an essential balance to Nijinsky's temperament. Throughout his brief career, Nijinsky was known as an extremely sensitive person who had difficulties in communicating with others. Diaghilev, as the leader of the Ballets Russes, had almost the opposite characteristics. In fact, Diaghilev and Nijinsky were such opposites of one another, it has been argued that Diaghilev's influence had the impact of actually limiting Nijinsky's ability to communicate freely. In this regard, Kirstein has noted that Diaghilev's dynamic personality "completely overbalanced whatever attempts at verbal formulation (Nijinsky] might have essayed" (Kirstein, 1987, p. 283).
Nijinsky's first opportu...