Lecture Demonstration: Deciphering Nijinsky’s Lost Ballet

For forty years after Nijinsky’s death in 1950, the dance notation for his groundbreaking ballet, The Afternoon of a Faun, languished in a Parisian archive—undecipherable and unused. In this lecture and dance demonstration, Dr. Claudia Jeschke and acclaimed dancer Rainer Krenstetter fuse performance and scholarship to recount how Dr. Jeschke “broke the code” of Nijinsky’s lost notation, reconstructing the ballet from his own notebooks and making his choreography available for revival.

Dr. Claudia Jeschke is a dance historian, choreographer, and curator. In addition to her studies of Theaterwissenchaft at Munich University and a doctoral dissertation on the history of dance notation systems, Dr. Jeschke is professionally trained in various forms of dance. Her scholarly and practical experience allows her to approach dance heritages in actcu on stage, as curator of exhibitions, author of television programs, and in her writing. She has held academic positions at the universities of Munich, Leipzig, Cologne, and Salzburg. Her publications focus on dance historical and theoretical issues, as well as movement research and notation. Dr. Jeschke received the Tanzpreis München in 2019.

Rainer Krenstetter began his training at the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera. In 1999, he was awarded the Prix de Lausanne and accepted into the Royal Ballet School in London. The following year, he became a member of the Vienna State Opera Ballet, and in 2002, he joined the Staatsballett Berlin under the direction of Vladimir Malakhov, rising to the role of Principal dancer. Krenstetter joined the Miami City Ballet as a Principal dancer in 2014 and gave his last performance in April 2022. He received the 2016 Miami Life Award for “Best Classical Dancer” in 2016. In 2020, he was appointed Artistic Director at The Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet. Following his tenure at Miami City Ballet, Krenstetter has danced as a guest Principal dancer all over the world. His broad repertoire includes the canonical heritage of classical ballets, as well as numerous recent works. He is the author of Not Without Tears: A Life Lived on Stage (2022).

This program takes place in Gilder Lehrman Hall on the Ground Floor. Doors to the Hall will open 30 minutes before the program begins. Crafting the Ballets Russes: The Robert Owen Lehman Collection will be open to visitors before the program.