I found that dance, music, and literature is how I made sense of the world... it pushed me to think of things bigger than life's daily routines... to think beyond what is immediate or convenient.
Mikhail BaryshnikovRead
No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.
Interpretation
This quote expresses admiration for Fred Astaire's unparalleled talent, suggesting that his greatness makes others feel inadequate in their own pursuits.
Mikhail Baryshnikov's quote reflects a deep appreciation for the extraordinary skill of Fred Astaire in dance. It conveys the idea that witnessing such brilliance can evoke feelings of self-doubt or inspire reflection on one's own path, implying that Astaire's artistry is so profound that it raises the bar for all dancers and performers. It speaks to the influence of exceptional talent on oneβs perception of their own abilities and aspirations.
In practice
In a speech praising dancers at an awards ceremony.
I found that dance, music, and literature is how I made sense of the world... it pushed me to think of things bigger than life's daily routines... to think beyond what is immediate or convenient.
It's weird when you see pieces of choreography that were done for you 15 or 20 years ago and now they are being done by another dance company.
I miss horribly those couple of hours before the performance when you get into the theater and you see people.
There comes a moment in a young artist's life when he knows he has to bring something to the stage from within himself. He has to put in something in order to be able to take something.
Dancing is my obsession. My life.
If your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.
I think that one's art is a growth inside one. I do not think one can explain growth. It is silent and subtle. One does not keep digging up a plant to see how it grows.
The most important thing to realize is that everyone is capable of telling a story.
I was an awful critic. I operated on the assumption that there was an absolute scale of values against which art could be measured. I didn't trust my own subjective responses.
Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honor.
I'm one of the culprits who keeps turning stuff around, shaking up original tunes and trying to stand the canon on its ear. But sometimes, you just need to sing the song.
It's always about the music, never about anything else.
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