When the legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky made his first appearance with the Ballets Russes in Paris on May 19, 1909, Modern Ballet was born. Parisians worshipped him, captivated by his extraordinary jumps and his physical presence.
To this day, numerous choreographers have tried to embrace the full range of Nijinsky's life and work, but none of them has moved closer to this exceptional dancer than John Neumeier. Not only did he create three major choreographies on Nijinsky - “Vaslaw”, 1979, “Nijinsky”, 2000, and “Le Pavillon d'Armide”, 2009, but he also assembled the world's most important collection of Nijinsky artefacts and paintings, which is housed in Neumeier's villa. The choreographer lives under the same roof and continues to discover new aspects of the legendary dancer. Nijinsky, the painter, for example.
With the exhibition “Dance of Colors. Nijinsky's Eye and the Art of Abstraction”, John Neumeier presented 80 original paintings of the famous dancer at Hamburger Kunsthalle in 2009, as a celebration of the centennial of the Ballets Russes. This exhibition is one of the highlights of this ninety-minute documentary, which also features an exclusive “home story” – John Neumeier shows us his art collection in his private domicile.
The double portrait “Nijinsky & Neumeier” traces a unique kinship – two soulmates beyond space and time. The focus here is on key scenes from Neumeier's choreographic masterpieces “Nijinsky”, “Le Pavillon d'Armide” and “Le Sacre”. Nijinsky, the legend, comes to life, mirrored in a choreography by our contemporary. Neumeier himself comments on recent dance footage, reflects on Nijinsky's world of aesthetics and his ground-breaking innovations. He connects history with our present – not as a historian, but as a true artist. Nijinsky himself presents his views through quotes from his autobiography, like in an imaginary dialogue with his artistic heir.
> Hamburg Ballett
> Stiftung John Neumeier
