I fell in love with New York. It was like every human being, like any relationship. When I was a young New Yorker, it was one city. When I was a grown man, it was another city. I worked with many dance organizations and many wonderful people. In the '90s, it became kind of a hard and unwelcoming city in many ways. It became conservative, like the whole country.
Mikhail BaryshnikovI 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.
Mikhail BaryshnikovYou see, dancers are quite mature people because they start performing so early. They become professionals when they start to take everyday classes.
Mikhail BaryshnikovIf your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.
Mikhail BaryshnikovI always had a kind of strange relationship with New York City, with total love affair in the beginning then retreat during the kind of conservatives of politics and real estate and business came, and then I am again kind of fighting for the justice to the city, to open the city for the artists.
Mikhail Baryshnikov