Nijinsky

John Neumeier

Fri 3.10. 20:00 Tickets via organizer
Sat 4.10. 18:00 Tickets via organizer
Sun 5.10. 17:00 Tickets via organizer
Sun 12.4. 18:00 Tickets via organizer
Mon 13.4. 19:30 Tickets via organizer
Tue 14.4. 19:30 Tickets via organizer
Wed 15.4. 19:30 Tickets via organizer
Sat 16.5. 19:30 Tickets
Mon 18.5. 19:30 Tickets
Thu 21.5. 19:30 Tickets
Wed 24.6. 19:30 Tickets

The life and work of the legendary dancer Nijinsky has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for John Neumeier since his youth. In the ballet he created in 2000 about this iconic figure of dance, the focus is on the biography of a soul — interwoven with memories and associations, emotions and states of being...

Work specs

Ballet by John Neumeier

Music: Musik: Frédéric Chopin, Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakow, Dmitri Schostakowitsch, Robert Schumann

Choreography, Set and Costume Design: John Neumeier
with partial use of the original designs by Léon Bakst and Alexandre Benois

World Premiere: Hamburg Ballett, Hamburg, July 2, 2000

Cast

Choreography

John Neumeier
Music

Frédéric Chopin

Nikolai Rimskij-Korsakow

Dmitri Schostakowitsch

Robert Schumann

Ensemble

Hamburg Ballett
Orchestra
Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen
- 3.10.25 /
- 4.10.25 /
- 5.10.25
Conductor
Maria Seletskaja
- 16.5.26 /
- 18.5.26 /
- 21.5.26 /
- 24.6.26
Orchester
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
- 16.5.26 /
- 18.5.26 /
- 21.5.26 /
- 24.6.26

The Production

Venue Guest performance in Baden-Baden, Festspielhaus, Guest performance in Barcelona, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Main Stage
Duration 150 m
Break 1 intermission / Part 1: 65 minutes, Part 2: 60 minutes
Age recommendation ab 14 Jahren / Klasse 9

"Nijinsky's life can be summarized easily: ten years of growing, ten years of learning, ten years of dancing, thirty years of darkness," biographer Richard Buckle once said. Vaslav Nijinsky, worshipped as the "God of Dance," left a lasting impression not only with his breathtaking jumps and charismatic presence but also with his choreographic work, which paved the way for modern dance. The phenomenon of Nijinsky has captivated John Neumeier since his youth. His ballet “Nijinsky”, premiered in 2000, portrays a life of extremes: Nijinsky in the spotlight as a star of the Ballets Russes, the world-renowned company under Serge Diaghilev, as well as in madness, in the shadows of his doubts and fears. John Neumeier conjures up some of the greatest roles of this unique artist, such as the Golden Slave, Petrushka, or the Faun. In contrast, the second act deals with Nijinsky's inner struggles. Under the powerful influence of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony, dark visions of the First World War unfold, along with the challenges that ultimately led Nijinsky to psychiatric care. John Neumeier creates a compelling tribute to Vaslav Nijinsky, whose genius is inseparably linked to his demons.

On Tour: Baden-Baden − +

Guest performance in Baden-Baden, Festspielhaus

Fri, Oct. 03, 2025, 8.00 pm
Sat, Oct. 04, 2025, 6.00 pm
Sun, Oct. 05, 2025, 5.00 pm

Tickets and information: Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

Guest performance in Barcelona, Gran Teatre del Liceu

Sun, April 12, 2026, 6:00 PM
Mon, April 13, 2026, 7:30 PM
Tue, April 14, 2026, 7:30 PM
Wed, April 15, 2026, 7:30 PM

Tickets and information: Gran Teatre del Liceu

Historic Data − +

WORLD PREMIERE:
The Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg, July 2, 2000

ORIGINAL CAST:
Vaslav Nijinsky: Jirí Bubenícek
Romola Nijinsky: Anna Polikarpova
Bronislava Nijinska: Elizabeth Loscavio
Stanislav Nijinsky: Yukichi Hattori
Serge Diaghilev: Ivan Urban
Eleonora Bereda: Joëlle Boulogne
Thomas Nijinsky: Carsten Jung
The Ballerina, Tamara Karsavina: Heather Jurgensen
The new dancer, Leonid Massine: Guido Warsany
Nijinsky - The Dancer:
as Arlequin in "Carnaval": Alexandre Riabko
as the spirit of the rose in "Le Spectre de la rose": Alexandre Riabko
as the Golden Slave in "Sheherazade": Otto Bubenícek
as the Young Man in "Jeux": Guido Warsany
as the Faun in "L'Après-midi d'un faune": Otto Bubenícek
as Petrushka in "Petrushka": Lloyd Riggins

ON TOUR:
2001 Hanover 2002 Copenhagen, Baden-Baden 2003 Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, St. Petersburg 2004 New York, Orange County (CA), Reggio Emilia, Washington 2005 Tokyo 2009 Monte-Carlo 2011 Stuttgart 2012 Beijing, Shanghai, Brisbaine 2013 Chicago, San Francisco 2017 Baden-Baden 2018 Tokyo 2020 Macao 2025 Baden-Baden

IN THE REPERTORY:
Semperoper Ballett
The Australian Ballet
The National Ballet of Canada

Anchor Links

Nijinsky

Work specs

Cast

The Production

Nijinsky

John Neumeier

All Dates