Sergei Gustavovich Legat (; 27 September 1875 – 1 November 1905) was a Russian

ballet dancer A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...

Background

Sergei Gustavovich Legat was born on 27 September 1875, in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. The younger brother of

Nikolai Legat Nikolai Gustavovich Legat () (30 December 1869, in Moscow – 24 January 1937, in London) was a ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher. Life and career Nikolai Legat was born to a family of Swedish origin, all of whom were dancers—h ...

, he studied at the imperial ballet school with

Pavel Gerdt Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt (), also known as Paul Gerdt (22 November 1844, near Saint Petersburg, Russia – 12 August 1917, in Vamaloki, Finland, Russian Republic), was the ''Premier Danseur Noble'' of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet, the Bol ...

, Christian Johansson,

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet. As a performer with the Mariinsky Ballet, ...

and his brother. Legat joined the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

in 1894 and quickly became a soloist. Admired for his stylistic performances he also taught, with pupils including

Vaslav Nijinsky Vaslav or Vatslav Nijinsky (12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish ancestry. He is regarded as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Nijinsky was celebrated for his virtuosity and f ...

. Legat originated the dual role of the Nutcracker/Prince in Tchaikovsky's famous ballet. He married

Marie Petipa Marie Mariusovna Petipa (; 17 (29) October 1857 – 16 January 1930) was a noted Russian ballerina. She was born in St. Petersburg, the daughter of Marius Petipa (under whom she studied) and Maria Petipa. Her debut was at the Mariinsky Th ...

(1857–1930). Many of the male

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

that make up the traditional classical ballet repertory were created especially for him at the turn of the 20th century.

Death

At the outbreak of the First Russian Revolution, Legat fell out with the authorities, and on 1 November 1905, he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, slashing his throat with a razor.Bronislava Nijinska's Memoirs. Duke University Press, 1992. . p. 154.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legat 1875 births 1905 suicides Dancers from Moscow Male ballet dancers from the Russian Empire Suicides in the Russian Empire 1905 deaths

Background

Death

See also

References