Nikita Baryshnikov

Madison, Wisconsin

International Ballet Academy
Bolshoi Ballet Academy
Tanz Akademie Zürich
Houston Ballet Academy
Houston Ballet II

2023

2024 - Corps de Ballet

One of my favorite ballets is Jean-Christophe Maillot’s The Taming of the Shrew. I have been lucky to have seen this ballet multiple times in the theatre, performed by the Bolshoi, and it has never failed to captivate and blow me away. The ballet is an incredible interpretation of the original work by William Shakespeare, showing a plethora of emotions and drama that keeps you engaged for the entire performance. With such a variety of personalities in the characters, together with the music of Shostakovich and a sleek stage design, this ballet is truly unforgettable.
Another one of my favorite ballets is Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián. Having worked on a short excerpt of it as a student, as well as seeing it performed live in Zurich, this ballet has had a profound impact on me. The beauty of it lies in the exploration of the difference of our private and public selves, with very intimate and emotional movement to convey this concept, as well as coordinated light and stage design to help project further symbolism and meaning. It is a deeply moving and beautiful ballet. 

One of the proudest moments in my career thus far was performing Dr. Coppelius and Franz in Claudio Munoz’s Coppelia in the same season. Physically, Franz was a very difficult role to take on, but ultimately an absolute joy to perform. Artistically, Dr. Coppelius was one of the most challenging roles that I have ever performed. With all of the intricacies of the pantomime and acting, as well as physically having to transform into an old person. It was a long rehearsal process of removing my youth from my movement and to completely embody the physicality of the character. Coppelia is also a particularly important ballet to me because I performed in a production of it with the Bolshoi Ballet as a student in a minor role in the 3rd act. This was also a very important moment for me in my career, as I performed on one of the most historic stages in the entire world.