Dance prodigy sex symbol gay pioneer cultural iconVaslav Nijinsky rose to fame as the star of the Ballets Russes in Paris before mental illness stole his career and the last thirty years of his life. A tragic story of a great genius this compelling work of narrative nonfiction chronicles a life of obsessive artistry celebrity and notoriety. With one grand leap off the stage at the 1909 premiere of the Ballets Russess inaugural season Nijinsky became an overnight sensation and the centurys firs