Baryshnikov, Mikhail Nikolayevich, *27 January 1948 Riga, Russian dancer. From 1958 to 1964, he studied at the ballet school in Riga, and from 1964 to 1967 at the ballet school in Leningrad under A. Pushkin. In 1966, he won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna. From 1967 to 1974, he was the principal dancer of the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad. In 1974, during guest performances in Toronto, Baryshnikov decided to settle abroad permanently. From 1974 to 1978, he was the principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, and from 1978 to 1979, of the New York City Ballet. He also made guest appearances in many cities in Europe, North America and South America, collaborating with the most outstanding world-renowned companies. From 1980 to 1989, he was artistic director and principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. In 1990, he founded the White Oak Dance Project with M. Morris, where he performed as the principal dancer. For the American Ballet Theatre, Baryshnikov prepared several of his own versions of classical ballets, based in part on the original choreography, including The Nutcracker (music by P. Tchaikovsky, 1976), Don Quixote (music by L. Minkus, 1978), Giselle (music by A. Adam, 1980), in collaboration with P. Anastos Cinderella (music by S. Prokofiev, 1983) and with P.L. Samaritani Swan Lake (music by P. Tchaikovsky, 1988). In 1989, Baryshnikov appeared in the play Metamorphosis (directed by S. Berkoff, based on F. Kafka) staged on Broadway; he showcased his acting and dancing talent in films directed by H. Ross: The Turning Point (1977), White Nights (1985), Dancers (1987). American television devoted several documentaries to him. Awards: in 1969, he won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow and the V. Nijinsky Award in Paris; in 1978, he received the Dance Magazine Award; in 1979, he received an Emmy Award; in 1989, he received the Outer Circle Drama Critics Award for Best Actor; in addition, in 1973 he received the title of Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, and in 1979 an honorary doctorate from Yale University.
Baryshnikov’s artistic career began in Leningrad, where he performed in numerous roles, including Albert in Giselle, Basilio in Don Quixote, Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty (music by P. Tchaikovsky), the Young Man in Goryanka (music by M.M. Kazlaev, choreography by O. Vinogradov, 1968), Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (music by S. Prokofiev, choreography by J. Chernyshev, 1969), the title role in Hamlet (music by P. Tchaikovsky, choreography by K. Sergeyev, 1970), Adam in The Creation of the World (music by A. Petrov, choreography by N. Kasatkin and V. Vasiliev, 1971) and others. He demonstrated a wide range of expressive means in a ballet evening (Leningrad, 1974), which included the ballets Daphnis et Chloé (music by Maurice Ravel), The Prodigal Son (music by S. Prokofiev), and Divertissement. After 1974 – thanks to becoming acquainted with the achievements of ballet artists in Western Europe and the United States – Baryshnikov further developed his technical mastery and expanded his existing repertoire. He performed in ballets by outstanding choreographers, including G. Balanchine (The Prodigal Son; Apollo, music by I. Stravinsky), F. Ashton (La fille mal gardée, music by F. Hérold; A Month in the Country, music by F. Chopin), M. Graham (Appalachian Spring, music by A. Copland; El Penitente, music by L. Horst), J. Neumeier (Hamlet-Connotations, music by A. Copland), and many others.
His mastery of various dance techniques, perfection and precision of execution, and excellent acting skills have brought Baryshnikov worldwide fame. He has gained recognition both as a performer of lyrical roles (e.g. Albert in Giselle, the Young Man in La Sylphide) and comic roles (e.g. Basilio in Don Quixote). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of our century.
Literature: (published in New York, unless otherwise stated) S. Goodman A Most Spectacular Dancer, 1979; G. Smakov From Russia to the West, 1981; A. Croce Going to the Dance, 1982; N. Alovert Barysznikow in Russia, 1984; J. Fraser Private View. Inside Barysznikow’s American Ballet Theatre, Toronto 1988; B. Aria Misha. The Michail Barysznikow Story, 1989.
