Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov, nicknamed "Misha", is a Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor born in the Soviet Union, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers in history. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974 for more opportunities in western dance. After freelancing with many companies, he joined the New York City Ballet as a principal dancer to learn George Balanchine's style of movement...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDancer
Date of Birth27 January 1948
CityRiga, Latvia
CountryUnited States of America
In any art form, in Hollywood or in music, there is a handful of people who really, you know, move the envelope.
My life has been immensely enriched by gay mentors, colleagues and friends, and any discrimination and persecution of gay people is unacceptable.
I was never like, "collect, collect," like people who go to auctions. I never spent a serious amount of time because I don't have any time!
I gave away a lot of works for benefits and then people would also give me back.
What people will do to get away from boredom!
You invest into the future, and that's how young people become human in best sense of it - through the great experience of listening a Müller symphony or to see a great play by Tennessee Williams, experience something in a ballet, in a film.
The Russian people get so insanely close to each other as friends. Their lives are interrelated so much on an everyday basis.
It's what's left in life, to work with interesting people.
I feel very uneasy with a lot of aspects of the Russian life and the Russian people.
I go a lot to see young people downtown in little theaters. It's great. If you start somebody's career, it's so exciting.
You see, dancers are quite mature people because they start performing so early. They become professionals when they start to take everyday classes.
People dance at any age.
I've always said, 'I am a selector, I am not defector' - the first few phrases in English I learned. I said I hate 'defector'; something defective about the people. It's a bad word.
I want to see people dance, and I would like to guess what kind of people they are. I don't want to know the recipe for their pasta.