Born in Moscow he was to be known as one of the world’s great mimes. Not only was he a remarkable dancer and choreographer, his acting talents were to become an integral part of his style of dance. In fact Massine was very close to forsaking dance to become an actor, until Diaghilev persuaded him to take the title role of Joseph in "La Legende de Joseph". Through this performance he became an instant star at age 18, the successor to Nijinsky as the most important dancer of the Ballets Russes.

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He studied dance at the Imperial Theatre School and was trained by the Italian dancer and dance theorist Enrico Cecchetti. From his debut with the Ballets Russes he began to devise ballets as well as starring in them and by the age of 21 he had produced a successful ballet "The Good-humoured Ladies". With his adventurous spirit Massine was at the forefront of every modern movement in art. It was he who, in 1917, choreographed the infamous "Parade", a cubist ballet produced in collaboration with Picasso and the musician Satie. In 1919 he choreographed and starred in two of the most successful ballets of the 20^th century; "Le Boutique Fantasque" and "La Tricorne" (the three cornered hat).

Building on the foundations laid by Fokine and Nijinsky, Massine placed great emphasis on the character ballet and character dancing, reflecting his interest in acting. He drew on many national sources and was distinctive in his orchestration of mass movement on stage.

He produced many works for the Ballets Russes and also for numerous other companies including Ida Rubinstein, La Scala Milan and for Colonel de Basil. In 1948 he played Grischa Ljubov in the Powell and Pressburger film "The Red Shoes".