Mikhail Baryshnikov Defects

On This Day in History: June 29

Ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov was born in Latvia in 1948, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Deciding that the USSR was the death of fun, while on tour in Canada 26 years later he said fuck the commies I want to be free to do my own thing, and defected.

--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: June 29, 1974--

Baryshnikov began dancing at age 12 and was a promising student, but also short. Recognized as immensely talented, by the age of 19 he was part of the Kirov Ballet (now called the Mariinsky Ballet), but due to being only 5’5” he was often relegated to backup roles because he couldn’t tower over female dancers in a manly fashion, especially when those women were up on their tiptoes en pointe. Baryshnikov’s defection wasn’t based on a desire to be a lead, but to innovate. Russians were traditional in their ballet style, eschewing the contemporary work of Western choreographers. Mikhail caught glimpses of such au courant dance in film and while on tour and wanted to be a part of it.

And so, on June 29, 1974, after a performance in Toronto, he evaded his KGB handlers and disappeared into the crowd outside. Arranged in advance through his friends, he ran for a car waiting a few blocks away. And he was chased ... by adoring fans. “They start to run after me for autograph,” he said. “They were laughing. I was running for my life!” He said it was a very emotional moment; he reached the waiting car, hopped in, and it spirited him away. Baryshnikov stayed in hiding until he was granted political asylum by the Canadian government. The Russians, what with ballet being a big deal for them and having just lost one of their prized dancers, were surprisingly chill about his defection. JK. They were fucking pissed.

Referring to it as an “artistic defection” rather than a political one, he danced as a guest for a short time with the National Ballet of Canada, and then was granted asylum in the U.S. where he joined the American Ballet Theatre for the next four years, followed by two years with the New York City Ballet.

In 1980, Baryshnikov returned to the American Ballet Theatre as its artistic director, a role he held for over two decades. He also starred in numerous film and TV roles, earning an Oscar nomination in 1977 for his portrayal of a lecherous Russian ballet dancer in The Turning Point.

Mikhail Baryshnikov became a U.S. citizen in 1986.

NOTE: This piece was researched and written by a human, not some bullshit “ai” plagiarism software.

Those who cannot remember the past need a history teacher who says “fuck” a lot. Get both volumes of ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY SH!T WENT DOWN.