Misha!: The Mikhail Baryshnikov Story

by Barbara Aria

An entertaining 1989 biography of Mikhail Baryshnikov, from his childhood in Latvia and first ballet lessons there, to his US career as a dancer at City Ballet and director of American Ballet Theater. The book also covers his personal life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

214 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such a superstar of the dance world, there are surprisingly few biographies available about Mikhail Baryshnikov. For me, however, Misha turned out to be the perfect book about the famed dancer. I was looking for a broad sweep of his life, who he was and what drove him to defect to the United States. I wanted to know how he adapted from his world of classical Russian ballet to all the varied modern forms of dance that he ventured into. I knew that he eventually became the Artistic Director of ABT (American Ballet Theater), and I was curious about his effectiveness there. This book is not an in-depth study of Baryshnikov's personality - he seems to be a private person, and that was fine with me. So for me, this book checked all the boxes, and Aria proved to be a capable and talented writer, which definitely helps to make this book interesting. 4 1/2 stars.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is an easy read. I found it shallow and almost as if Baryshnikov's publicist wrote a very complimentary telling of his life up until his early 40s. Most of the material appears to be quotes from other people's memoirs, television interviews, or newspaper articles. There seemed to be little if any direct contact or first person accounts. In one chapter, the author describes Saratoga Performing Arts Center audiences in very offensive and belittling ways. She lets Baryshnikov off the hook for what others took as temperamental problematic behavior. The author likes him, admires him but does not provide a full portrait of a charismatic dancer.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, easy-to-read bio of Mikhail Baryshnikov, defector from Russia and at one time the world's greatest (also very non-gay) dancer. Enjoyed discovering the talent and obsession of the man behind one of my family's oldest Christmas traditions: the CBS television production of "The Nutcracker."

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but pretty dry. The insight into the world of Russian ballet (& politics) was intriguing. Wish there would have been more quotes from Misha himself.

[Jessica Moreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that shows the light, the dark, and everything in between. Misha is an icon of dance but all icons are also human with all of the grace and faults that comes with living life.