The story of Nijinsky, the Russian Dancer is a tale of brilliance and despair, of innocence and stardom, celebrity, sensitivity, and tragedy, and amongst the saddest historical cases of artistic success versus mental health. I was introduced to his story by filmmaker Paul Cox during the filming of the dancer's diaries in 2001, resulting in an invitation to stay with Nijinsky's daughter Tamara in Phoenix, Arizona, and the opportunity to probe further in the Jerome Robbins Dance Department of the New York Public Library and numerous other places. I gradually pieced together my interpretation of the famous dancer's life and controversies from research including meeting his grandson and namesake Vaslav Markevitch, in Italy in 2005.