Baryshnikov, Mikhail 1948- . Soviet dancer,
now in the USA. He joined the Kirov Ballet in
1967 and soon gained fame worldwide as a
soloist. After defecting `on artistic, not
political grounds' while in Canada in 1974,
he danced with various companies, becoming
director of the American Ballet Theatre in
1980. He has created many roles, notably in
Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove 1976 (music
by Haydn/Lamb) and in Jerome Robbins's Opus
19 1979 (Prokofiev). He made his film debut
in The Turning Point 1978 and has since acted
in other films, including White Nights 1985.
He made his dramatic stage debut in
Metamorphosis 1989.