"My madness is my love for mankind," wrote Vaslav Nijinsky in his diary, inspiring Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company's Xing Liang to create a work on the legendary Russian dancer and choreographer.

With his extraordinary technique and innovative choreography, Nijinsky mesmerized, and shocked, the ballet world of the early 1900s. His rise was meteoric, but after 10 years of unprecedented fame, he began a descent into madness. He was only 29 then.

Nijinsky remained mentally unstable for the last 30 years of his life, never dancing again.

Based on The Diaries of Nijinsky, Xing reflects on his inner self, exploring the mind of a genius on the outer edge of reason.

Choreographed by Xing, and performed by an all-male cast from the City Contemporary Dance Company, including Xing himself, Nijinsky was one of Hong Kong's best-received dance works last year. The troupe will now perform at the Haidian Theater in Beijing on March 10.

"Many works have been based on Nijinsky, but Xing has created a unique piece that does not try to tell a story. Instead, it probes the various levels of a genius's mental world," says Willy Tsao, artistic director of City Contemporary Dance Company.

"Xing is not describing Nijinsky from outside, but feeling him from inside."

In Xing's Nijinsky, eight dancers represent different images of Nijinsky at times, and at others they become one.

Born in Beijing, Xing is at present the resident artist of City Contemporary Dance Company. He has won many international awards such as the Gold Award in the Male Solo Class of the Paris International Dance Competition, the Hong Kong Alliance Dance Awards and the Silver Award in the Modern Dance Section at the Italian International Dance Competition.

(China Daily March 7, 2007)