There’s a reason some people become legends.

Even people who hate ballet can still tell why Baryshnikov is a household name.: he has a presence and a precision to his dancing that is palpable.

It’s that precision I want to call your attention to today.

Yes, Baryshnikov can do untold number of leaps and pirouettes and a thousand other things I don’t know the names of, and, yes, he is flexible and bendy and everything you else you could want in a ballet dancer … but the thing that dazzles me most about him is how, even in the midst of a seemingly out-of-balance, rounding, curving, bendy move … he is always perfectly in control of every movement.

As someone who has a hard time even walking smoothly, this quality mesmerizes me. I find it hypnotic to watch him bring that level of control to the craziest of modern choreographies. Take a peek at these two videos and see if you can see it, too.

Baryshnikov in When Push Comes to Shove

In the above video, within just the first ten seconds, you can see how he is taking the simplest of movements and running them together in a jerky fashion that takes extraordinary levels of balance and control. When he performs the series of pirouettes (at about 0:13), he ends them in a surprising and seemingly off-balance way that is, of course, completely controlled. It’s a characteristic of Twyla Tharp’s choreography and he showcases it gorgeously.

Baryshnikov in One For My Baby, One More For the Road

In this second video, look at the soft, flowing movements around 1:20 and through 1:35. He is not doing the most dramatic moves in his repertoire, but it is impossible to take your eyes off of him. When dancers ask me what they should “do” in a choreography, I think of dance moments like these and want to say they shouldn’t “do” anything – rather, they should feel. They should feel so intensely that their slightest move, their smallest gesture, seems like a pure moment of expression.

As pole dancers, that’s what I want us to aim for – where every movement we make carries the feeling and mood of the piece, and not the slightest gesture is filler.

One more …

Baryshnikov’s performances speak for themselves, so here’s one more video to see – also choreographed by Twyla Tharp. The same precision, the same stunning unexpectedness in the moves, and even more of the emotional embodiment of the role and gorgeous expressiveness that makes him so dramatic to watch.

Enjoy!