Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky (1880-1850) was a troubled man - but a dancing genius. He brought male dancing to new heights, both metaphorically with his characterisation, and literally with his stratospheric leaps - the product of his astounding technique. But his personal life was complex and emotionally involved, and more than once he caused outrage with his on-stage antics - in Prélude de l'après-midi d'un faune, he did something that would be shocking even to today's seen-it-all audiences. The public was seething - and ballet fixer Serge Diaghilev was delighted.

This documentary profile on the legendary dancer recreates his era with archive footage of Petrushka, L'après-midi d'un faune and The Rite of Spring. It also examines charismatic figures such as Diaghilev, Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, as well as exploring the contradictions of Nijinsky the dancer and the man, based on extracts from his diary. With Jean Cocteau, Maurice Béjart, Kader Belarbi, John Neumeier and Marie Rambert.