157 Quotes by Mikhail Baryshnikov

What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It’s no secret. We hate him. He gives us a complex because he’s too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity. It’s too hard to face.

People of art should never get married and have children, because it’s a selfish experience.

You cannot dance physically certain things. But look at tango dancers or flamenco or Japanese classical theater. You can, if you’re smart enough and you collaborate with the right choreographers, you could really dance your age.

Love is not like a potato – you can’t throw it out the window.

What brought me to the theater, no matter you’re a Jew or a Russian or Armenian or Latvian, are suddenly illuminated by stage light and one beautiful image of dance.

Divinity of art, it’s such a mystery. How to convince people that no matter how much money you can spend on education and art education especially, that it implants, it directs a young person for the rest of their lives, and always in the most humane and positive and dignified manner.

You don’t measure life by receiving awards.

I think I got disappointed over the years about New York, about the States. You know, sometimes you go and visit Europe and see good old socialism in its good part! You see public concern about art, and young people’s participation and young faces in the audience.

I go a lot to see young people downtown in little theaters. It’s great. If you start somebody’s career, it’s so exciting.