mĭˈkhail barĭˌshnĭkävˈ, 1948–, Russian-American dancer and choreographer, b. Riga, Latvia. He studied in Riga and performed with the Kirov Ballet (1966–74). Although highly respected and extremely popular in the Soviet Union, he defected to the West in 1974, where he danced with the American Ballet Theatre (1974–78) and the New York City Ballet (1978–79). Among the many dances in which he has performed are Swan Lake,Giselle, Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove, and John Butler's Medea. He has also choreographed such works as The Nutcracker and Don Quixote.

Baryshnikov has starred in films, notably The Turning Point (1977), which introduced him to a mass American audience, and White Nights (1985), and on television, e.g., Baryshnikov on Broadway (1980) and the cable sitcom Sex and the City (2003–4). He was the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1980 to 1989 and since then has been involved with several modern dance projects, including productions by his own touring modern dance company, the White Oak Dance Project (1990–2002); a tour with Twyla Tharp; and productions of works by Mark Morris. With his engaging personality and versatility, he has brought the public to a greater appreciation of ballet and of dance as a whole.

See his Baryshnikov at Work (1976); study by G. Smakov (1980).

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