Baryshnikov, Mikhail (Nikolayevich) (1948- )

Latvian-born dancer, now based in the USA. He joined the Kirov Ballet in 1966 and, after defecting from the USSR in 1974, joined the American Ballet Theater (ABT) as principal dancer, partnering Gelsey Kirkland. He left to join the New York City Ballet (1978-80), but rejoined ABT as director 1980-90. From 1990 he has danced for various companies including his own modern dance company, White Oak Project. His physical prowess and amazing aerial feats have combined with an impish sense of humour and dash to make him one of the most accessible of dancers.

He has created many roles, for example in Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove (1976) and in Jerome Robbins's Opus 19 (1979). He made his film debut in The Turning Point (1978) and has since acted in other films, including White Nights (1985), That's Dancing! (1985), and Dancers (1987). He made his dramatic stage debut in Metamorphosis 1989.

In 2000, he was honoured for his lifetime contribution to US culture by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.