MIME

MCB-DV-12165

Great Performances: Dance In America: Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine

One in this dance series presented under the umbrella of “Great Performances.” In this program, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is featured in two works choreographed by George Balanchine: “Apollo,” set to “Apollon musagete” by Igor Stravinsky, and “Who Cares? ,” with music by George Gershwin. The program opens with a portion of an interview with Baryshnikov, who talks about his first experience performing “Apollo.” The dance depicts the education of the young god by the muses of dance, poetry, and mime, and is performed by Baryshnikov and American Ballet Theatre dancers Christine Dunham, Stephanie Saland, and Leslie Browne. In another excerpt from the interview, Baryshnikov talks about how he joined Balanchine’s dance company. Footage from a 1978 rehearsal of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” shows Baryshnikov working with dancer Patricia McBride and choreographer Balanchine. “Who Cares? ,” which Baryshnikov once described as “a classical ballet with American social dances,” is then performed by Baryshnikov, Dunham, Browne, and Deirdre Carberry.