In the year 1909, Watslovniewski, not yet 20 years old, would burst onto the scene as the most remarkable ballet dancer of the time.

He had a grace and a power that were breathtaking. His leaps appeared did defy gravity.

In an age when mass media and instant communication were just beginning to make celebrity

possible, Nijinsky became one of the world's first celebrities.

In Paris, they called him the Dieu de la dance, the god of dance.

He was destined to become the greatest male ballet dancer of the 20th century.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century Episode 45, The God of Dance.

The greatest male ballet dancer of the 20th century was an ethnic pole born in the city of Kiev,

probably in 1889, although no one's completely sure.

He always thought of himself as a pole, although Russian was his first language, and his Polish was never polished. His parents, Thomas and Eleanor Nijinsky, were themselves professional dancers,

who eeked out a precarious living, traveling across the Russian Empire, performing in opera houses,

theaters, carnivals, circuses, whatever. Votslav was the middle child in a family of three.

His older brother Stanniswav was three years older,

and his sister Brona Suava was two years younger.

All three children began performing with their parents while still very young.

Tragedy struck the Nijinsky family when Vatslav while still very young.

Tragedy struck the Nijinsky family when Votslav was still a toddler.

Staniswav fell out of a third-story window onto a cobblestone street.

He suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired,

and in adolescence, Staniswov became so violent he had to be institutionalized.

By then, their father had become involved with another woman and had left the family.

...