The Royal Ballet celebrates Nijinska

Bronislava Nijinska (1891–1972) was a pioneering choreographer, who created more than 70 avant-garde ballets set to contemporary music, but over the years her remarkable work became overshadowed by the greater fame of her brother, the extraordinary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. The fact that she was a woman didn't help.

Now, on the centenary of Nijinska's best-known work, Les Noces, set to music by her contemporary Igor Stravinsky, The Royal Ballet has organised a one-day celebration of her life and fundamental contribution to the development of ballet, which was to provide inspiration to dancemakers such as George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton.

Born in Minsk, of Polish travelling dancer parents, Nijinska started her dance career in St Petersburg, and ended her life as a teacher and choreographer in Los Angeles, in between having created work for a raft of international companies in Europe and the Americas. However, she is perhaps better known for her collaboration with Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, which epitomised the avant-garde glamour of 1920s Paris. She is remembered as a strong dancer, but it was her daring and innovative choreography which was to become so influential, aided by her collaboration with contemporary composers, such as Stravinsky, and fashion designers, namely Coco Chanel.

All that will be fleshed out in this special one-day event mounted by The Royal Ballet in the ROH Clore studio. Moderated by the UK-based Spanish choreographer Avatâra Ayuso, who's recently created a full evening biopic ballet about Nijinska for the Santiago Ballet in Chile, the event brings together Dame Monica Mason, former Royal Ballet director who, as a dancer worked with Nijinska, and Professor Lynn Garafola, author of La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern.

Dancers of The Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School will illustrate some key extracts from Nijinska's work.