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.
My sense of style is influenced by how I feel. I want to express myself because they see you before they hear you. You want to come on stage, and what you look like should represent the song you are playing or the set you are about to play or the message in your music.
Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.
Once it is out of his hand the artist has no control over the way a viewer will perceive the work. Different people will understand the same thing in a different way.
Drag queens have always taken on that role of spilling the tea - and the tea is the emperor has no clothes!
I put things down on sheets of paper and stuff them in my pockets. When I have enough, I have a book.
The true work of art is born from the 'artist': a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent subject, animated with a spiritual breath, the living subject of a real existence of being.
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