Born in Riga in 1948, Mikhail Nikolaevitch Baryshnkiov started ballet school in 1960 at the age of 12.? Four years later, at 16, he entered the Vaganova School and soon won the top prize in the junior division of the international competition. In 1967, at 19 years old, Mikhail Baryshnikov joined the Kirov Ballet and made his debut at the Marriinsky Theater in Giselle.? This garnered the attention of Soviet choreographers Oleg Vinogradov, Konstantin Sergeyev, Igor Tchernichov, and Leonid Jakobson.? Jakobson created Vestris for Baryshnikov, and this become one of his signature roles.
From 1974 to 1979, Baryshnikov was the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, partnering with Gelsey Kirkland.? He also performed with George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet.? He toured for nearly 15 months in roles created specifically for him:? Opus 19: The Dreamer, Rhapsody, and Other Dances.
In 1980, Baryshnikov returned to the American Ballet Theatre to dance and serve as artistic director, a position he held through 1990.? During this time, Baryshnikov had a relationship with actress Jessica Lange that produced a daughter, Aleksandra.
In 2004, he launched the Baryshnikov Arts Centre in New York. In the summer of 2006, he toured with Baryshnikov Arts Centre in New York. In the summer of 2006, he toured with Hell's Kitchen Dance, sponsored by his Baryshnikov Arts Centre.
