Review:
If you have even the slightest interest in ballet, you’ve probably heard the name of the legendary Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1974 and has lived and worked primarily in the United States ever since. First published in 1976, while he was still in his prime as a dancer, this big, coffee table book includes black and white photographs of 26 of Baryshnikov’s roles, taken during rehearsal, performances, and in the studio. Some of the pictures are higher quality than others, but there are many excellent ones. As someone who took ballet classes for many years myself but could not be said to be naturally talented, a bunch of them made me want to weep with envy over the perfect technique and form on display by both Baryshnikov and his partners. Also – not going to lie – some of them are sexy as hell. Heck, most of them. Dancers have the most beautiful bodies.
The photos are accompanied by text written by Baryshnikov himself (with Charles Engell France), discussing each role and some of the thought processes that went into his interpretation of it. I found this a very interesting peek into the mind of a great dancer, but it will likely be more interesting to people with at least some dance experience, as he does use some technical terms. Some of his comments are even pretty funny. For example, he describes his early efforts to prepare for “Pas de Duke” with Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison as “a cow on ice.”
My rating: (5 / 5)