Mikhail Baryshnikov, born on January 27, 1948, in Latvia, is a world-renowned ballet dancer and actor celebrated for his exceptional talent, artistry, and versatility. His illustrious career began with the Kirov Ballet in Russia before he defected to the West in 1974, seeking artistic freedom. Baryshnikov’s technical prowess, expressive performances, and charismatic stage presence propelled him to international fame, earning him acclaim as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. He captivated audiences with his collaborations with choreographers like George Balanchine and his groundbreaking work with the American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. Beyond ballet, Baryshnikov expanded his repertoire to include contemporary dance and acting, winning Tony Awards for his performances on Broadway. His enduring influence on dance and the performing arts continues to inspire generations of artists worldwide, solidifying his legacy as a true cultural icon.

Mikhail Baryshnikov Quotes

1. “Fundamentals are the building blocks of fun.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

2. “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

3. “When a body moves, it’s the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

4. “Be. Good. To yourself, to other people, to everything you do. It’s a norm of life by which people should try to live. Don’t waste time. Be interesting and interested.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

5. “No one is born a dancer. You have to want it more than anything.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

6. “Perfection is a theory. You cannot be a perfect human being, perfect artist. You cannot be a perfect husband, you cannot be a perfect father probably and probably I am not. But go through your daily routine with hope you will be a little better in all respects, and do something meaningful.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

7. “Dance is an ephemeral, a fleeting art. To describe this momentum, every movement on stage, in words is virtually impossible.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

8. “What people will do to get away from boredom!”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

9. “People of art should never get married and have children, because it’s a selfish experience.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

10. “I adored my mother, and I will always have extraordinary memories about her and remember her, and she opened the doors for me to appreciate arts.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

11. “I – you know, I’m not an actor.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

12. “What brought me to the theater, no matter you’re a Jew or a Russian or Armenian or Latvian, are suddenly illuminated by stage light and one beautiful image of dance.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

13. “Just sit and open your eyes and open your heart. It’s dance theater.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

14. “It’s weird when you see pieces of choreography that were done for you 15 or 20 years ago and now they are being done by another dance company.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

15. “I want to see people dance, and I would like to guess what kind of people they are. I don’t want to know the recipe for their pasta.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

16. “He is a male butterfly without the wings – the same kind of grace of a very young horse, so angular.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

17. “I hated life in the Soviet Union. You had to pretend something you didn’t feel.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

18. “I like the most provocative and most surprising partnerships on stage. Intensity and surprise.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

19. “Love is not like a potato – you can’t throw it out the window.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

20. “What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It’s no secret. We hate him. He gives us a complex because he’s too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity. It’s too hard to face.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

21. “People dance at any age.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

22. “It doesn’t matter how high you lift your leg. The technique is about transparency, simplicity, making an earnest attempt.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

23. “To walk across the street is a risk.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

24. “No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

25. “If your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

26. “The problem is not making up the steps but deciding which ones to keep.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

27. “You cannot dance physically certain things. But look at tango dancers or flamenco or Japanese classical theater. You can, if you’re smart enough and you collaborate with the right choreographers, you could really dance your age.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

28. “You don’t measure life by receiving awards.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

29. “Divinity of art, it’s such a mystery. How to convince people that no matter how much money you can spend on education and art education especially, that it implants, it directs a young person for the rest of their lives, and always in the most humane and positive and dignified manner.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

30. “I have some Russian friends. But probably only 10 percent. I don’t hang out usually in the big Russian communities in Brooklyn and New Jersey.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

31. “You can be totally involved, you could admire just the shape of or you could be totally emotionally mushed up into the dance.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

32. “Creative Artists Agency put together a project of extraordinary mediocrity and colossal stupidity. Otherwise, it was great.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

33. “Nobody else in the world has a form like the Native American musical, and Americans should be very proud.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

34. “When I’m alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

35. “I think I got disappointed over the years about New York, about the States. You know, sometimes you go and visit Europe and see good old socialism in its good part! You see public concern about art, and young people’s participation and young faces in the audience.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

36. “I go a lot to see young people downtown in little theaters. It’s great. If you start somebody’s career, it’s so exciting.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

37. “Dancing is my obsession. My life.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

38. “I really reject that kind of comparison that says, Oh, he is the best. This is the second best. There is no such thing.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

39. “I always had a kind of strange relationship with New York City, with total love affair in the beginning then retreat during the kind of conservatives of politics and real estate and business came, and then I am again kind of fighting for the justice to the city, to open the city for the artists.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

40. “To achieve some depth in your field requires a lot of sacrifices.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

41. “I am teaching more. That is what I do best.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

42. “There comes a moment in a young artist’s life when he knows he has to bring something to the stage from within himself. He has to put in something in order to be able to take something.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

43. “Dance is one of the most revealing art forms.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

44. “I was never like, “collect, collect,” like people who go to auctions. I never spent a serious amount of time because I don’t have any time!”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

45. “Nothing is ever too expensive if it furthers the repertoire and artistic standards of a dance company.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

46. “I cannot belong to a nonprofit organization because when you receive grants, you have to make such great compromises with your artistic plans.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

47. “It’s what’s left in life, to work with interesting people.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

48. “We’re trying to stretch our muscles creatively. It gives us so much more freedom.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

49. “When I see people on the street, I look at how they walk. It’s like a signature, a fingerprint.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

50. “I gave away a lot of works for benefits and then people would also give me back.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

51. “Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

52. “Working is living to me.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

53. “Acting is not my language at all.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

54. “A theater is such a revealing form of art, such a transparent and good actors, they’re such powerful individuals. I always kind of dreamt that one day I will open my mouth on stage.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

55. “I am not trying to do material which I cannot do full out.”
— Mikhail Baryshnikov