Author Talk and Book Signing

Join author and illustrator Lynn Curlee for an inside look at his new book The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance. Lynn will explore how the book came to be made, starting with the original series of paintings done in the 1970s, and ending with the process of writing and getting The Great Nijinsky published. The talk includes an overview of Nijinsky’s complex life story, and audience members will have the opportunity to view two of the original paintings done by Lynn.

About the book:
Dance prodigy, sex symbol, gay pioneer, a cultural icon–Vaslav 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. A biographical narrative is interspersed with spotlights on the ballets the dancer popularized such as Afternoon of a Faun, The Firebird, and of course, the shockingly original Rite of Spring, which caused the audience to riot at its premiere. Illustrated with elegant, intimate portraits as well as archival art and photographs.