I don't try to dance better than anybody but myself.

Your body actually reminds you about your age and your injuries - the body has a stronger memory than your mind.

Soviet regime in a way deprived me from my childhood in my homeland, because my father was in military, and after the Yalta agreement he was sent to teach in military academy in Riga, and I was born then.

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.

Dancing is my obsession. My life.

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

Although I don't gamble in life - I've never played poker - I do gamble on stage. I gamble with myself: 'Can I do this?'