Immigrant of the Day: Mikhail Baryshnikov (Forner Soviet Union)

Mikhail Baryshnikov (born January 27, 1948) is a American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He is often called the world’s greatest living male ballet dancer.

Baryshinikov was born to Russian parents in Riga, in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. In 1960, when he was twelve, his mother enrolled him in School of the Theatre Opera Ballet in Riga.  In 1963, Baryshinikov applied to the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy. He was admitted and joined the class of Alexander Pushkin, who had earlier trained Rudolf Nureyev. Upon completing his studies, in 1966, he joined Leningrad’s Kirov Ballet.  That same year he won the gold medal at the Varna, Bulgaria, international ballet competition.. After only two years as a professional, he received the gold medal at the first international ballet competition in Moscow. He became the youngest dancer to receive the State Award for Merit of the U.S.S.R.

While on a tour in Canada with the Kirov Ballet in 1974, Baryshnikov defected, requesting political asylum in Toronto. His first performance after coming out of temporary seclusion in Canada was with the National Ballet of Canada. He then went on to the United States.

From 1974 to 1979, Baryshnikov was principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). He also worked with the New York City Ballet.

On July 3, 1986, Baryshinikov became a naturalized U.S. citizen. From 1990 to 2002, Baryshnikov was artistic director of the White Oak Dance Project, a touring company he co-founded. In 2004, he launched the Baryshnikov Arts Centre in New York.

Baryshnikov was noted in particular for his first film role in the 1977’s The Turning Point where he received an Oscar nomination . Additionally, he starred in the 1985 film White Nights, choreographed by Twyla Tharp, and the 1987 film Dancers. He played Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) boyfriend, Aleksandr Petrovsky, in the last season of Sex and the City.

KJ