Abstract

In this text, I discuss Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography of Le Sacre du Printemps as it appears in the light of primary source materials from 1913. By focusing on the unique challenges Nijinsky posed to his dancers in terms of movement style and composition, I contest many of the frequently-heard claims made about this work, particularly its danced component, and argue that Nijinsky's choreographic ideas challenged both dancers and critics by questioning the ontological qualities of dance in contemporary discourse.