Search results for: baryshnikov

#TBT: Mikhail Baryshnikov in "Fancy Free" (1981)

In Jerome Robbins’s 1944 ballet Fancy Free, three sailors on leave spend the day at a bar, attempting to woo two young women by out-dancing and out-charming one another. In this clip from 1981, Mikhail Baryshnikov, who was then both the artistic director of American Ballet Theatre and a leading performer with the company, pulls […]

#TBT: Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Giselle (1977)

Updated 9/5/23 There is something special about watching a prima ballerina dance her signature role; her sense of ease and pleasure makes ballet’s complex vocabulary look completely natural. Natalia Makarova, one of the world’s leading dancers in the latter half of the 20th century, was particularly acclaimed for her portrayal of the title role in […]

#TBT: Mikhail Baryshnikov in "Don Quixote" (1983)

If you need a bit of cheering up as we near the end of another week, Mikhail Baryshnikov‘s unbridled charisma in this 1983 clip from American Ballet Theatre’s Don Quixote is just the ticket. Then the artistic director of ABT, Baryshnikov performs Basilio’s tavern variation with swagger and panache, making every audience member root for […]

#TBT: Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov in “The Nutcracker” (1977)

Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov in The Nutcracker are simply iconic—two of the world’s most celebrated dancers in the world’s best-loved ballet. Starring as Clara and the Prince in American Ballet Theater’s 1977 made-for-television film, these two superb talents bring both technical and dramatic brilliance to the ballet’s culminating scene. In this version, which Baryshnikov […]

#TBT: Watch Baryshnikov Do 11 Pirouettes in "White Nights"

What do you get when you mix a dizzying amount of pirouettes with Mikhail Baryshnikov? Pure cinema gold—and one of the most famous dance movie scenes of all time. In this clip from the 1985 hit movie White Nights, Misha combines his technical prowess with his effortless cool. Raymond, played by legendary tapper Gregory Hines, […]