Baryshnikov, Mikhail (mĭ`khail bərĭ'shnĭkäv`), 1948–, Russian-American dancer and choreographer, b. Riga, Latvia (then in the USSR). He studied in Riga and performed with the Kirov Ballet Kirov Ballet, one of the two major ballet companies of Russia, the other being the Bolshoi Ballet . In 1991 it was officially renamed the St. Petersburg Maryinsky Ballet; however, on its frequent tours abroad it is still called the Kirov Ballet.
..... Click the link for more information. (1966–74). Although highly respected and extremely popular in the Soviet Union, he defected to the West in 1974, where he danced with the American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre, one of the foremost international dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction of Lucia Chase and Rich Pleasant.
..... Click the link for more information. (1974–78) and the New York City Ballet New York City Ballet, one of the foremost American dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine as the Ballet Society in 1946.
..... Click the link for more information. (1978–79). Among the many dances in which he has performed are Swan Lake, Giselle, Twyla Tharp Tharp, Twyla (twī`lə), 1941–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Portland, Ind.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Push Comes to Shove, and John Butler's Medea. He has also choreographed such works as The Nutcracker and Don Quixote.

Baryshnikov has also starred in films, notably The Turning Point (1977), which introduced him to a mass American audience, and White Nights (1985), and on television, e.g., Baryshnikov on Broadway (1980) and the cable sitcom Sex and the City (2003–4). He was the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1980 to 1989 and since then has been involved with several modern dance projects, including productions by his own touring modern dance company, the White Oak Dance Project (1990–2002); a tour with Twyla Tharp; and productions of works by Mark Morris Morris, Mark 1956–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Seattle, Wash. After training in Balkan folk dance, flamenco, and ballet, he went on to dance for Eliot Feld, Laura Dean, and Lar Lubovitch.
..... Click the link for more information. . In 2005 he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City, a large multipurpose space for artists in various media. With his engaging personality and versatility, Baryshnikov has brought the public to a greater appreciation of ballet, of dance in general, and of the arts as a whole.

Bibliography

See his Baryshnikov at Work (1976); study by G. Smakov (1980).

Baryshnikov, Mikhail (Nikolayevich)

(born Jan. 28, 1948, Riga, Latvia, U.S.S.R.) Latvian-born U.S. dancer. After entering the Kirov Ballet's training school in St. Petersburg in 1963, he joined the company as a soloist in 1966. There he quickly became popular with Soviet audiences, dancing leading roles created for him in ballets such as Gorianka (1968) and Vestris (1969). He defected while on tour in Canada in 1974. He danced with American Ballet Theatre until 1978, winning enormous acclaim, and he served as its artistic director from 1980 to 1989. He danced and acted in several movies and on television.

Baryshnikov, Mikhail (1948– ) ballet dancer; born in Riga, Latvia. After training at the Riga Choreographic School, he performed with the Kirov Ballet from 1966–74. He defected to Canada in 1974 and joined the American Ballet Theater, where his flamboyant style, as well as roles in such movies as The Turning Point (1977), propelled him to international stardom. During his tenure as the American Ballet Theater's artistic director (1980–89), he made guest appearances with different companies. In 1990 he began to collaborate with Mark Morris in the White Oak Dance Project.