Bertrand de Roffignac Incarnates Nijinski's Last Dance at Théâtre du Châtelet

At the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, actor Bertrand de Roffignac performs "La Bal(l)ade de Nijinski," a theatrical adaptation of Vaslav Nijinski's autobiographical notebooks written in 1919 just before his institutionalization in Switzerland. Directed by Olivier Py, the show features pianist and actor Guilhem Fabre performing a Franco-Russian repertoire from the early 20th century, including works by Chopin, Prokofiev, Schnittke, Debussy, and Mussorgsky. The performance explores Nijinski's final public dance at a charity event in Saint-Moritz, where he improvised a solo about war that drove away the audience, marking his last performance before thirty years of internment for schizophrenia. Roffignac's hyper-physical acting embodies Nijinski's struggles with God, sexuality, and his relationship with Serge de Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballets Russes. The production will tour France via a truck-stage organized by Guilhem Fabre and the association uNopia.