When Baryshnikov was twelve years old he began to study ballet. At the age of fifteen Baryshnikov’s mother committed suicide. Baryshnikov centered his life around theater after the loss of his mother and became a way to help him with the grief he faced after his mother’s death. During this time, Baryshnikov joined a Riga dance troupe. Doing so allowed him to travel the world and led him to being invited to join the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Joining the academy allowed Baryshnikov to demonstrate his abilities early and he soon caught the eye of Alexander Pushkin, Vaganova’s best-known teacher. Pushkin became a mentor and father figure to Baryshnikov. Vaganova’s production of Le Corsair helped Baryshnikov become well-known because of his leaps and grand jete during the performance. Baryshnikov became frustrated with the artistic limitations at Vaganona’s so he decided to leave and join American Ballet Theatre. Baryshnikov went on to star in the film The Turning Point, a film that revolved around ballet in New York City. This performance earned Baryshnikov a nomination at the Academy Award for best support actor. He later …show more content…
Baryshnikov brought a new light to dance and brought in many to watch him. He was an innovative dancer and choreographer who pushed artistic boundaries often. Baryshnikov acting and making of film also had a huge impact on his career and the ballet world. Staring in the film, Turning Point, brought a new light to the world of ballet that had not been exposed. Then Baryshnikov making his own specials also gave even more insight into dance, but also Baryshnikov as a person. Many of his film works were well received by critics and he was nominated for many awards because of this, and won several as well. Baryshnikov has become known to experiment with different styles of dance along with different styles of music. Choreographers strived to work with Baryshnikov because of his exquisite talent. After Baryshnivok’s mentor, Vaganova, passed away Baryshnikov made the decision to leave the company because he felt he was not being challenged as an artist and was not allowed to express himself as an artist. When Baryshnikov went to the American Ballet Theatre he felt he was able to express himself much more as an artist. During this time his style of dance changed as he came more expressive and added a more psychological approach to his roles. His work at the theatre pushed the companies boundaries with new works they had not yet performed. He also began to collaborate with choreographer Twyla Tharp. They