Vaslav Nijinsky
1
8.8
- proper noun
- The legendary ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky revolutionized dance in the early 20th century.
Examples
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Many historians regard Vaslav Nijinsky as the greatest male ballet dancer of his era.
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Did you know that Vaslav Nijinsky was also a choreographer?
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Vaslav Nijinsky revolutionized ballet with his innovative choreography and expressive dancing.
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My sister admires Vaslav Nijinsky for his legendary performances in the Ballets Russes.
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Vaslav Nijinsky revolutionized ballet with his innovative choreography and expressive dancing.
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Many historians regard Vaslav Nijinsky as the greatest male ballet dancer of his era.
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My sister admires Vaslav Nijinsky for his legendary performances in the Ballets Russes.
Synonyms
2
9.0
A famous Russian ballet dancer from the early 1900s known for high jumps and often called one of the greatest
A Russian ballet dancer who changed male roles in classical ballet
Surface Forms
Morphology
Vaslav + Nijinsky
This is a personal name (a proper noun) whose referential meaning—identity and biographical facts like being a Russian ballet dancer—cannot be derived from its constituent parts. Proper names are lexicalized identifiers rather than compositional phrases, so a B1 learner who merely knows the surface forms would not be able to infer the person’s profession or significance.
Etymology
Vaslav Nijinsky is the name of a real Russian dancer who amazed people with huge leaps and strange, dream-like dances. Because his daring moves and new ideas changed ballet, people still remember him as one of the greatest 'dancers' of the 20th century.