Born in Kiev of Polish parentage the child of travelling dancers. At 10 he entered the Imperial Ballet School in St.Petersburg , where he displayed an exceptional talent for dancing and mime . He studied under Legat , Gerdt and Cecchetti making his official debut in 1908. He met Diaghilev and formed a personal and professional relationship.

With his outstanding range of powers, his quality of movement unsurpassed, he was a legend in his own lifetime. He provided Fokine with the material from which he fashioned the Golden Slave, Harlequin, the poetry of Les Sylphides , Petrushka and La Spectre de la Rose , he merged himself completely in all his roles.