YouTube 'Alchemist' Makes Ballet Legend Dance

A YouTuber has unearthed the only footage of famed early 20th-century dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in existence, the New Yorker reports—sort of. Actually, it’s more like he created it himself. “These films are animations of photographs,” Christian Comte said. “I work as an alchemist in animated cinema.” The “animation” of Nijinsky’s Afternoon of a Faun, his first ballet, does not sit well with some.

And some in the dance community are believing their eyes. “Astonishing” and “C’est superbe!” are some comments on Comte’s page. Among those who see what’s going on, opinion is split. “It is a disservice to the arts world to present this digital creation as a genuine film of Nijinsky,” one poster wrote. “Please stop this charade.” To others, it is what is. “Play your magic,” a viewer wrote. “That’s Art as well.” (More dance stories.)