© Max Vadukul

Universally acknowledged as the most celebrated artist in the dance world (Time magazine proclaimed him 'the greatest living dancer') Mikhail Baryshnikov's defection from the Soviet Union in 1974, at the age of twenty-six, breathed new artistic freedom into an already astonishing career.  Working with American Ballet Theatre (where he was Artistic Director for ten years), the New York City Ballet (with George Balanchine), and finally forming his own company in 1990 with Mark Morris, The White Oak Dance Project, Baryshnikov has, over these past decades, changed the face of dance.

Mikhail Baryshnikov has danced more than 100 different works during his career. In addition to his dancing, he has starred in five films, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Turning Point.  He has performed numerous times on television, including three Emmy award-winning specials. In 1989, he appeared on Broadway in Metamorphosis, earning a Tony nomination and a Drama Critics Award.  He is the 1997 recipient of a New York Dance and Performance Award and received both the Kennedy Center honor and the National Medal of Arts in 2000. His book, Black and White, will be published in May 2002.