Sergei Gustavovich Legat (Сергей Густавович Легат; 27 September 1875 - 1 November 1905) was a Russian ballet dancer. The younger brother of Nikolai Legat, he studied at the imperial ballet school with Pavel Gerdt

Pavel Gerdt

Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt, also known as Paul Gerdt , was the Premier Danseur Noble of the Imperial Ballet, the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, and the Mariinsky Theatre for 56 years, making his debut in 1860, and retiring in 1916...

 and his brother.

Legat joined the Mariinsky Theatre

Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...

 in 1894 and quickly became a soloist. Admired for his stylistic performances he also taught, with pupils including Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...

. He originated the dual role of the Nutcracker/Prince in Tchaikovsky's famous ballet

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...

. He married Marie Petipa

Marie Petipa

Marie Mariusovna Petipa was a noted Russian ballerina. She was the daughter of Marius Petipa and Maria Petipa. Her debut was at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1875 in Le Dahlia bleu and danced until 1911, mainly in the character dance repertoire...

 (1857–1930). At the outbreak of the First Russian Revolution he fell out with the authorities and committed suicide, slashing his throat with a razor.

Many of the male variations

Variation (ballet)

Variation or Classical Variation in ballet is a solo dance. As with an Aria in opera, which allows the singer to demonstrate his or her interpretive skills, the variation in ballet has the same function...

that make up the traditional classical ballet repertory were created especially for him at the turn of the 20th century.