Editing Vaslav Nijinsky (section)

===Dismissal from Ballets Russes===
On returning to Paris, Nijinsky anticipated returning to work on new ballets, but Diaghilev did not meet him.  Eventually he sent a telegram to Nijinsky informing him that he was no longer employed by the Ballets Russes. Nijinsky had missed a performance in Rio when Romola was ill, and only in the case of a dancer's own illness, certified by a doctor, was the dancer allowed to miss a performance. Diaghilev also usually dismissed dancers who married. This was perhaps beside the point, since Nijinsky had never had a contract, nor wages, all his expenses having been paid by Diaghilev. His mother also received an allowance of 500 francs per month (other senior dancers had received 200,000 francs for a six-month season).<ref>{{harvnb|Ostwald|1991|p={{Page needed|date=January 2019}}}}</ref> Fokine was re-employed by Diaghilev as choreographer and premier danseur, accepting on the condition that none of Nijinsky's ballets would be performed. [[Leonide Massine]] joined the company as the new attractive young lead for ''Joseph''.<ref>Parker p.&nbsp;155.</ref>

The Ballets Russes had lost its most famous and crowd-pulling dancer, but Nijinsky's position was even more difficult. He appears not to have appreciated that his marriage would result in a break with Diaghilev's company, although many others immediately expected this would be the result. The Ballets Russes and the Imperial Russian ballet were the pre-eminent ballet companies in the world and uniquely had permanent companies of dancers staging full-scale new productions. Nijinsky now was "an experimental artist. He needed roles that would extend his gifts, and above all, he needed to choreograph. For these things he did need the Ballets Russes, which at that time was the only forward-thinking ballet company in the world."<ref name="Acocella"/>

Not only had Nijinsky previously left the Imperial ballet on doubtful terms, but he had not been granted exemption from compulsory military service in Russia, something that was normally given to its dancers. He could find only two offers, one a position with the [[Paris Opera]], which would not start for more than a year; the other to take a ballet company to London for eight weeks to perform as part of a mixed bill at the Palace Theatre. [[Anna Pavlova]] sent him a caustic telegram, reminding him that he had disapproved some years before when she had appeared there in [[vaudeville]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ostwald|1991|pp=100, 107}}</ref> On another occasion, he had told a reporter, "One thing I am determined not to do, and that is to go on the music-hall stage".<ref>{{harvnb|Ostwald|1991|p=104}}, citing Nesta MacDonald, ''Diaghilev Observed'', by critics in England and the United states, p.&nbsp;108.</ref>

Bronia was still in St Petersburg following the birth of her child, and Nijinsky asked her to be part of his new company. She was glad to do so, being concerned at how well he could cope without his customary supporters. When she arrived, there was friction between her and Romola: Bronia was critical that the new central figure in her brother's life showed so little organisational ability; Romola resented the closeness between brother and sister both in their shared language and in ability to work together in dance. The final company had only three experienced dancers: Nijinsky and Bronia plus her husband. Scenery was late, Fokine refused to allow the use of his ballets, there was inadequate time to rehearse, and Nijinsky became "more and more nervous and distraught".<ref>Bronislava Nijinska, 'Early Memoirs,' translated and edited by Irena Nijinska and Jean Rawlinson, New York 1981, Holt Rinehart and Winston, p.499</ref> Diaghilev came to the opening night in March 1914.<ref>{{harvnb|Ostwald|1991|p=22}}</ref>

The audience divided between those who had never seen ballet, who objected to the delays necessary for scene changes, and those who had seen Nijinsky before, who generally felt something was lacking ("He no longer danced like a god"<ref>Cyril Beaumont, ''Bookseller at the Ballet, Memoirs 1891–1929'', p.&nbsp;149.</ref>). On another night, when the orchestra played music during the scene change so as to calm the audience, Nijinsky, having expressly banned this, flew into a rage and was discovered half dressed and screaming in his dressing room. He had to be calmed down enough to perform. He jumped on a stagehand who had flirted with Romola ("I had never seen Vaslav like that"<ref>Romola Nijinsky,''Nijinsky'' p..&nbsp;266.</ref>). A new program was to be performed for the third week, but a packed house had to be told that Nijinsky was ill with a high temperature and could not perform. He missed three days, and the management had had enough. The show was cancelled, and Nijinsky was left with a considerable financial loss. Newspapers reported a nervous breakdown.<ref>Macdonald p..&nbsp;111.</ref> His physical vulnerability had been aggravated by the great stress.<ref name="Acocella"/>