Seeking artistic freedom, Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union while the Bolshoi Ballet was on tour in Toronto in 1974 when he was 26. Baryshnikov's defection was big news, and he enjoyed a high public profile. Solidifying his place in popular culture was the 1977 movie The Turning Point, an exceptional movie that I profiled previously. This video focuses on his second movie effort, White Nights, from 1985 where he had a lead role with tap legend Gregory Hines. He again played a Soviet defector whose fate is linked to an American dancer who left for the Soviet Union. The theme of the Reagan-era movie is the lack of freedom in the Soviet Union and the extraordinary effort people made to escape the repressive regime. White Nights features breathtaking dance segments from Baryshnikov and Hines. So grab some popcorn, turn out the lights, and enjoy the show!
References
Movies
White Nights, Columbia Pictures, November 1985
Rocky IV, MGM, November 1985
Top Gun, Paramount Pictures, May 1986
Rambo: First Blood, Part II, TriStar Pictures, May 1985
The Queen, Miramax Films, September 2006
The Turning Point, 20th Century Fox, November 1977
Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Don Quixote DVD, Kultur Video, 2003
YouTube Video
Ronald Reagan: President Reagan’s Address to British Parliament, June 8, 1982, @RonaldReaganLibrary
Soviet Union government footage: Brezhnev’s Stagnation-History of Russia in 100 Minutes (Part 32 of 36), @smarthistoryofrussia9324
Leonid Brezhnev death: Leonid Breshnev: News Report of His Death-November 10, 1982, @josephhewes3923
Mikhail Gorbachev and Soviet arms: The Cold War Explained in 15 Minutes, @TheLifeGuide
Natalia Makarova and Alexander Godunov-Don Q PPD, @habanero0494
Ukraine war footage: A year of war in Ukraine: Revisiting day one of Russia’s invasion, @CBSMornings
Spartacus Ballet: Maris Liepa dances Crassus in Khachaturian’s
“Spartacus,” @Arashi110
Rudolf Nureyev in Sleeping Beauty, The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Instagram feed
Lionel Richie Academy Award: "Say You, Say Me" Wins Original Song: 1986 Oscars, @Oscars
Photos
Ronald Reagan, Wikipedia, Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan, February 7, 1981
Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, Wikipedia, June 19, 1973, Robert L. Knudsen
Photo of Taylor Hackford and cast: RGR Collection/Almay Stock Photo
Photos of Baryshnikov in the ABT studio: Eve Arnold in Private View, John Fraser
Photo of Baryshnikov stretching on wall: colaimages/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Baryshnikov shirtless: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Skolimowski with soldiers with guns: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Hines with tap shoes: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Hines leaping: Album/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Baryshnikov/Mirren: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
Black and White photo of Baryshnikov/Hines dancing: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Rossellini/Hines on ledge: United Archives GmbH/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Mirren/Skolimowski/US Spy: Columbia Pictures/Ronald Grant Archive/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Rossellini/Baryshnikov/Skolimowski: United Archives GmbH/Almay Stock Photo
Photo of Hines/Rossellini/Baryshnikov: Moviestore Colletion Ltd/Almay Stock Photo
George Balanchine, Wikipedia, Jack de Nijs for Anefo/Anefo, Dutch National Archives
Background Material
Gregory Hines Tap Dancing: Gregory Hines, Dennis Abrams, Gina De Angelis, Infobase Publishing, 2009
Biography of Gregory Hines, Constance Valis Hill, New York Public Library
Alex Marshall, War Brings New Iron Curtain Down on Russia’s Storied Ballet Stages, New York Times, April 15, 2022
Roger Ebert Review, RogerEbert.com, November 22, 1985
Vincent Canby New York Times Review, Baryshnikov in ‘White Nights,’ Tale of Two Defectors, November 22, 1985