don quixote

[MartinKDS]

pura basofia ... yo soy mejor!

[89brocco]

@MartinKDS???????? ARE U SICK???? LOL

[MartinKDS]

pura basofia

[utra1337]

wow this is so homo....

[utra1337]

@dancingcraze13 Yea, i dunno but like my first impression upon seeing male dancers is homo. And when I watch more of it, that impression doesnt change. I mean you can say it takes skill and all, and men jumping around in tights gets u wet, but it still doesnt change the fact that 90% of all male viewers seeing this will be like "wow this is so homo..."

[XOOOOElizabethOOOOX]

@utra1337 I really would like you to try doing this. Do you see all the muscles he has? He's not big and bulky like a football player, he's long and lean. Sure he could plow into someone head first like a football players, but instead he can leap 5 feet in the air. Dancing is EXTREMELY hard.

[ingriddoppler]

What else is there to say.......this man is simply breathtaking , the best male dancer the world has ever seen!!!!! Thanks @Kievest for making my day !! (and of course, thanks also to @burakballet for this delightful post.

[Kievest]

Baryshnikov might have been small of stature, but his enromous and genuine

genius filled the stage to overflowing!! Thank you for posting and to ditogam

for kindly sharing!

[ladywillowdragon]

Baryshnikov was yummy in White Nights

[brokendoll027]

He is born to be a GREAT DANCER!!

[SURFUR]

Eventually, our hero in the field finally stepped down and co-founded the White Oak Dance Project with many other dancers. Well, he had a good run.

Many in their 40s and 50s - all run under no director, but as a democracy. Baryshnikov says that he is in great physical condition, but one day he will step down from dancing completely.

But let us all pray... he will never give up the ballet... may he die with his toe shoes on..

--With Greatest Respect for the Great Russkie, Dane Youssef

[OneStopHomestay]

I just read the posts from people who didn't know he was a dancer......HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?? He is probably the most famous ballet dancer of all time, people. "Sex and the city" is just a passing TV series....Baryshnikov is an international legend, millions of people around the world know who he is and are not even into ballet.

[vladimmir100]

Ballet - art. And so, talk about the best dancer ever and everywhere - is impermissible. And, if we evaluate sports yardstick, as you do, I advise you to go to Russia. See achievements in the cradle of modern ballet. There you will see that our beloved Michael, for their standards - the second part. Not a second after Vasilyeva, which named the best dancer of the twentieth century, but just a second, not premiere composition.

[cbojorquez]

Totally agree. He actually was doing a favour to the entire Sex and the City production by appearing in the show. He's a living legend, I can't believe so many people don't know who he was before watching the series.

[antifrownpossum]

I wonder how old he was when he danced this... anyone know?

[terrilinnrooks]

He performed this in 1969, so he was 20 or 21, b 1948, before he defected from USSR. At this time, he had only been dancing some five years. Interestingly, he won the gold medal in Varna Bulgaria in 1966, just two years after he began dancing at the Vaganova school. And five years after this filming, he defected to Canada while the Kirov Ballet was on an international tour.

[mayaboldyrlol]

@antifrownpossum Baryshnikov was 21.

[Cheiko18]

wow, i saw him in sex and the city and thought of him as an exceptionally attractive and gifted actor, but turns out he is far more better a dancer than i thought he could be...actually i didnt even know he was a dancer!!! thanx to google this video came up wen i googled him

[campi108]

exact opposite with me. I didn't know he was an actor 'till I saw him in SATC recently (I never wayched I sometimes watch the re-runs)

[mks5958]

Wow! I'm shocked that you didn't know he was a dancer. But then, if you're a younger generation you may have missed the drama of his defection from the soviet Union and his stunning years of glory dancing in Canada and the U.S. Yes, Baryshikov is a dancer - quite possibly one of the greatest male ballet dancers in the history of the world.

[pediatrapaola]

l saw him first time live here in italy giselle with remarkable carla fracci giselle was1975,peole really gasped when micha made his 2 act solo,i thinck he volodia vasiliev and yuri soloviev were the best

[junglehuhu]

年轻的时候好娘～

[BTCsweets]

It's all about the pauses,  the perfect moments of pause that make rest so breathtaking.

[asortofsong]

transcendent technique; incredible precision and passion.

[lelapindore]

I dinnae know whether the likes of Baryshnikov will ever be seen again.

[urranuss]

lmao...tomas edur...carlos acosta.....

i once did a competition with a guy from estonia who was better then all of them put together!

[naomisuperdancer]

woww he inspires meee

[letsskitri]

ele foi o maior de todos

[pajpaj91]

it almost looks like the jumps are made with a trampolin. such hight...but then, you see his thighs...!:O

[hangamejairo51]

I saw so many Dancers. Acosta,Nurejev, Bolle...and by far Misha is the Greatest of all.

[silvanabarrera]

soooo sexy

[MrFatality]

better than nureyev

[papermason]

Baryshinikov was such a hearthrob back in the day. He could change position in the middle of a jump, unbelievable. The only time I watched Sex in the City was when I was channel surfing one night and saw that he was on, he still looked good.

[hevidt]

three brilliant male ballet dancers are: nureyev, barishnikov, and gudunov. they all have such flames in their souls. love them all.

[gorba4ov]

don't forget vasiliev ;]

[Romanse1]

WOW! So young...so beautiful. He's a flower who's just beginning to bloom there.

[MrFatality]

look at his jumps in the beginning, they are NOT near perfect omg...

[theaterkid1015]

So young!!!! It's hard to believe. I love that he looks as good then as now.

[MikhailFutebol]

i was named after him.. and my nono

[obsidianfinger]

Baryshnikov is really proving himself to be a timeless entertainer. How many other living legends are there in the world?

[LovelyTonight]

He was great in SATC, what you talkin' about?

[54spiritedwill54]

he is so incredibly young here! as a completely ignorant person who at 20 is only just finding out about mikhail.

[FlowerCourt]

He's ABSOLUTELY my favourite dancer of all dance history.... no one has his absolute perfection!

[MrFatality]

peter schaufuss perhaps...

[merluzasfritas]

He is the best, and so sexy!!!I just love him.

Pity he made such a silly role in Sex and the city, he should be over this things really, but...still my favourte

[crazeeshhhh]

definitely agree with Lovelytonight - he was great in sex and the city, really sexy, great acting

[jenknermario]

I saw so many Dancers. Acosta,Nurejev, Bolle...and by far Misha is the Greatest of all.

[princessmeaghen]

omg he is the most amazing guy ever my social teacher was talking about him once so i just had to look him up BOI AM I GLAD I DID ^_^ you go Mikhail Baryshnikov!!! (that was a mouthful)

[balletfreak329]

He's so amazing! His jumps are just unreal! He does an amazing Don Q!

[FlowerCourt]

oh my god he's so amazing....he's absolutely my favourute dancer!!

[areado2]

UM VERDADEIRO FENÔMENO DA DANÇA!

[ronoman88]

His form and technique are excellent. His refinement comes in the next 2yrs. He's not classically masculine. I like Vasiliev's style more but I love Mikhails aggressive passion.

[Svaple]

:) im so young... i dance like a rock.

[ballerinagurl4eva64]

hes so amazing. i love him so muchh.

[RachelNYC8826]

He was amazing when he was young! My god! And I just read on that site JuliB about how he's been working with younger dancers in his 'Hell's Kitchen' project. It's great to see him working make sure the tradition he's been such a part of continues.

[marafrance]

why does he look up?

[KxKeyserx3]

because hes supposed to. it looks better than looking down.

[marafrance]

no...no...i mean at the end..! =P

[hoes87]

in some cultures its an expression of being thankful....he's amazing

[TayGlo]

Perhaps he is acknowledging the people in the balcony.......

[lovelyonez]

he is flying... like a bird

[27Noodles59]

I first saw him just after he defected. Then in the "The Turning Point". He gave me goosebumps & still does. I never understood when people spoke of Michael Jordan and "hang time" until I watched a game...I practically screamed out "Baryshnikov does that" & before MJ was ever news. Most incredible dancer who's ever lived, IMO. I hate Jessica Lange.

[brianasap]

I am interested to know why you hate

Jessica Lange? Brian

[ihateskirts]

dang hes a baby in this vid, omg i love this guy!

[MandeeSparkle]

i love him. I love him!!!!!!! AH!

[samkr2007]

Young baryshnikov... he dances well but lacks natural flow and masculinity... at least he seems modest.

[anna315]

so he still dances? wow id love to see that. i heard about his dance company, what a privelege.

[skatekid205]

hello

[anna315]

he is so incredibly young here! as a completely ignorant person who at 20 is only just finding out about mikhail, does he still do ballet? i know hes nearly 60 but he still looks incredible...

[samueledwardjones]

he does modern stuff now. and he's started his own company.

[JeremyNasmith]

I've seen many videos of Baryshnikov dancing Don Quixote, but I'd never seen this gold medal winning perfomance! I have a video which shows him doing parts of "Vestris" the contemporary solo he did at the same competition, and La Bayadere, but seeing this rounds out the picture nicely.

[sweatysarita]

sadly its all 40 years ago ~~ pity you cant go back

even the worlds richest man can't buy back his past ..!

Nowadays see the new ballet stars many equal or better & support them

no need to live in the past darling

[JeremyNasmith]

Appreciating a historical performance of someone who revolutionized male technique and performance standard is hardly living in the past! If you ask any of today's male stars, you'll be hard pressed to find one who won't say that they were influenced by Baryshnikov. There are many fantastic dancers today, of course we should appreciate them. Does this mean we should stop appreciating the great performers of the past? Of course not!

[sweatysarita]

well you know your part of the world however i can introduce you to many dancers of today NOT influenced

it was 40 years ago darling jeremy we both loved the old days to cherish & remember

but todays dancers work hard for today & their future

so many say to me "Dont tell me about the old days "" because they imagine

we are suggesting they cant possibly be as good ..

[serendipidy77]

Dear Jeremy>> many years ago Nureyev received a v. bad ballet review in a leading newspaper >> Some prosperous friends knew the critic well & invited him to dinner in their luxury flat CHampagne flowed & dinner was served/.\

a little later friend Nureyev .. the critic was dismayed but not one harsh word was exchanged till he just had to raise the subject . Nureyev just smiled at him saying OK that's your job . He never wrote another harsh

word

[serendipidy77]

cont Jeremy >> Mischa would have shunned that ballet critic & turned him into a lifelong opponent >>>

but as the saying goes A soft reply turns away wrath {OR such similar words } Nureyev was a skilled diplomat

[balletbonnie01]

This clip of Misha comes from a VHS called I believe "World's Young Ballet".

In it you can see the young Misha "choosing" his number (it was #17) which indicated the order in which he would compete!

[64102256]

What an amazing talant. If you haven't seen the movie White Nights with Baryshnikov take it out of the library.

The dancing he does in that movie is fantastic. And the story line is great.

[88oxanna]

such a pity you cant find a better quality video film attempt to show this fine dancer

[krzesniak2504]

i love it

[evilAniron]

its it was filmed in 1974

[evilAniron]

and then it say at the beginning 1969. weird

[BryndisSnae]

it is in 1969 in the end it's some one mikhail lav.. somthing :D

[tovictorianna]

not much difference it was 40 years ago

things have moved on since then

Get out buy tickets to see up to date live theatre performances

[evilAniron]

not everyone has the income my dear

[tovictorianna]

tickets for Covent Garden start at only $9 each ~~ try standing

[evilAniron]

wow where is this?

[evilAniron]

wow thank you for posting such a gem!

[tismurdis]

que guapo!!!!

[JukeboxTenor]

He was born in 1948 so he was 21 in this video. Amazing to see, and he had the unbelievable jumping height even then! Wow!

[bebel61]

He was 21 years old at the time... but he looks much younger, doesn´t he? How cute he was... still is.

[fernandobicudo]

Maybe less than 18 years old!!!

[wyomingberry]

He is 21 years old. Born in 1948

[xokatyxo]

Aww.. wasn't he cute? :) He must've only been about 20 years old there.

[ogulcanb]

bravo iyi bulmussun!