Word: baryshnikov
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...announcement came as a shock. In four years at A.B.T., Baryshnikov 30, had become a superstar whose fame transcended the ballet world. His cut in income alone is staggering. He now earns $4,000 or more a performance. In his new job the pay is $800 a week. As for Balanchine, 74, he has successfully kept any system of stars or "guest artists" out of his tightly controlled company. Other famous dancers, Natalia Makarova, Cynthia Gregory and Rudolf Nureyev among them, have made public hints through the years that they would love to work with Balanchine; the answer has been...
...Baryshnikov's reasons for the move are clear enough. He left the cramped world of Soviet ballet seeking the variety and freedom of dance in the West. Several choreographers of stature created works for him, but the results were disappointing. Mostly Baryshnikov has been performing the romantic parts, like Albrecht in Giselle, that he grew up with. Along the way he tried out the jet set life at Studio 54, picked up an Oscar nomination for The Turning Point and bought a few toys like a white Cadillac, but all that meant little...
...Baryshnikov approached Balanchine carefully. "At first I thought, I will kill myself if he doesn't take me. Slowly I realized that I would never forgive myself if I did not try. I am 30, with a few years left. If he said 'you are not right in some way physically' I would go through a terrible depression, but I could stand...
...went to Balanchine's apartment expecting exploratory talks, and instead was offered a deal to start in July. "He was simple and welcoming," says Misha. Balanchine was also reassuring about his vaunted control over City Ballet. "I don't keep my dancers like horses," he told Baryshnikov. "They are free. We are free." (In fact, Baryshnikov will continue to make lucrative guest appearances during City Ballet's offseason...
...also said, "You should learn a few things." That is an understatement. Baryshnikov is accustomed to the large, open movements of the older traditions and to repeated patterns of steps, however difficult. Balanchine's style is a continuum of endlessly varied movement. It requires high, sustained power and top speed. Kirstein, the best historian of his own company, has written about Agon: "Clock time has no reference to visual duration; there is more concentrated movement in Agon than in most 19th century full-length ballets." A similar claim could be made for many Balanchine works, and some created...