Born into a Russian American family on January 27, 1948, Mikhail Baryshnikov seemed to know what he was going to be since he made his first steps. As an aspiring young dancer, he enrolled into the Vaganova school, where the legendary “magician” (Kuznetsov 00:00:21), Alexander Pushkin taught him the secrets of choreography. Because of a specific philosophy and the effort that Baryshnikov puts in his every single performance, the dancer has become an acclaimed artist all over the world.
After taking the prize for the Varna International Ballet Competition in 1964, Baryshnikov started performing in Kirov Balet and Mariinsky Theater, in search for the dancing style that would later on make his famous. His performance of the “Peasant” pas de deux in Giselle has made the critics recognize a new star rising above the horizon.
Despite the fact that Baryshnikov was still performing in the USSR at the time, he quickly became famous in the U.S. owing to the New York Times reports, and especially the commentary made by Clive Barnes. Later on, Baryshnikov would reveal his entire dancing philosophy to another NY Times reporter: “It doesn’t matter if every ballet is a success or not” (Mikhail Baryshnikov para. 6).
It was obvious that Baryshnikov was attempting at coining hi own unique dancing style; more to the point – he nearly succeeded in it, when the wind of change started blowing his way. In fact, Mikhail Baryshnikov is capable of rendering emotions not only through his dancing, but also as an actor – he has appeared on TV several times, the first and by far the most memorable being the In Performance Live from Wolf Trap (Mikhail Baryshnikov para. 11).
Aiming at transparency and simplicity, he managed to create his own unique style. However, by far the most memorable achievement of the great dancer on the television was bringing Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker on the big screen.
With him in the title role and such celebrities as Gelsey Kirkland, Alexander Minz and other members of the American Ballet Theater starring in the TV rendition of the Nutcracker, the show could not possibly fail. Being in his sixties, the artist still performs; his latest role in 2014 featured him as Minister Sorokin in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Guzman para. 3).
It is remarkable that Baryshnikov did not prefer the life of an artist over his family; instead, he has managed to find the golden mean between the two. Denying the idea of marriage as a legal or a religious procedure and acknowledging it only as a commitment that people make to each other, he has been in steady relationships with Lisa Reinhart and is a loving father to his kids, Anna, Sophia and Peter (Mikhail Baryshnikov para. 17).
Even though Baryshnikov should doubtlessly be given credit for his unique and quite unbelievable talent, these are not only his incredible skills, but also his original philosophy and moral principles that have helped him become the star that he is known as nowadays.
Baryshnikov created an entire philosophy of dancing, which helped marry several entirely different dancing styles and techniques. One of the few people who not only have unique assets, but also know exactly how to put these assets to practice, Baryshnikov clearly deserves to be honored among the most influential dancers of the XX–XXI century.
Alvin Ailey: What Turns the Switch on
Living in the United States of the Great Depression era was a major challenge, especially for a young man of an African American descent. Alvin Ailey’s life was not an exception. Despite the proclamation of equality principles, discrimination moods were still strong, and racial segregation was a common phenomenon. However, with all the aggression and disbelief thrown in his face, Alvin Ailey managed to not only attain incredible success, but also reinvent the art of choreography as the world knew it.
Claiming that Ailey focused solely on dancing would be wrong. He realized that, to accomplish what he was going to, he would need much more skills and knowledge. Thus, he studied not only a wide range of dance techniques, but also other art forms, particularly, “dramatic scenic and costume design” (DeFrantz 222).
The amount of information that he had to learn did not seem to confuse him. Ailey seemed to be charged with energy; whatever he took part in he was incredibly enthusiastic about. The given trait of his character would slowly work its way into his own dance philosophy: “The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it’s with you all the time” (DeWolf 54).
Ailey always tried to do his best and show everything that he was capable of; however, eh was never obsessed with his own image. Alvin worked with the dancers, explaining in detail what he wanted to see on stage and creating a very strong bond with each of the ballet members.
As one of the dancers recalled, “He just came up to me and said in my ear, ‘O.K., I need you to go for broke’” (dancephilm 00:00:9–00:00:12). In fact, Ailey’s entire philosophy of dance can be described with this single phrase. He would always go for broke, he would always find the way to push the envelope and challenge the existing principles of the dance culture.
Although one might consider Ailey’s success was rooted deeply into the system that he was initially going against, the creation of the Alvin Alley Dance Theater, as well as the development of a unique dancing technique, which would latter on be considered Ailey’s trademark, made it obvious that Alvin Ailey was more than merely a product of his time. Quite on the contrary, he was clearly trying to revolutionize the realm of choreography – and, much to his credit, he fully succeeded in it.
The triumph followed immediately. Alvin and his close friend, Carmen DeLavallade, who also helped him with becoming a member of the Horton Dance Company, were invited to perform in Capote’s House of Flowers, staged on Broadway. With Pearl Bailey, who was the Broadway darling of the 50s, playing the leading part, the show was doomed for success.
Although Pearl Bailey with her often over-the-top acting was in the limelight for the most part, Alvin’s unique dancing style, which was starting to become more prominent at the time, clearly shone through (Gitenstein 24). Landing at the top of the list of the best performances of the time, it was dedicated to all African American performers in history.
Unfortunately, Alvin Ailey was not destined to stay here for long. On December 1, 1989, at the age of 59, he lost his life to AIDS. The switch as turned off.
Works Cited
dancephilm. “Alvin Ailey Documentary – Beyond the Steps.” YouTube. 2006. Web.
DeFrantz, Thomas F. Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Embodiment of African American Culture. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 2004. Print.
DeWolf, Holly. Breaking into Freelance Illustration: A Guide for Artists, Designers and Illustrators. Cincinnati, OH: HOW Books. 2009. Print.
Gitenstein, Judy. Alvin Ailey. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group. 2006. Print.
Guzman, Rafer. “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Review: Dated.” News Day. 2014. Web.
Kuznetsov, Ilya. “Baryshnikov about Pushkin.” YouTube. 2007. Web.
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