Mikhail Baryshnikov Fansite

Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Nutcracker

Mikhail Baryshnikov has had a long and storied career as a ballet dancer, but he will always be recognized for his production of The Nutcracker.

Baryshnikov’s unique take on the Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet has become a staple of television programming during the Christmas season. The Nutcracker was Baryshnikov’s first exposure to audiences outside of traditional ballet enthusiasts. Mikhail Baryshnikov choreographed both the stage, and television versions of The Nutcracker.

He made some changes to Tchaikovsky’s original, cutting characters such as the Sugar Plum Fairy from the show completely. Still, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s The Nutcracker remains the most popular rendition of the classic ballet to date. The 2004 re-issue of the television taping remains the best-selling home video version of The Nutcracker, and the show is still aired on PBS stations every year. The Nutcracker was nominated for an Emmy award, but did not win. Mikhail Baryshnikov has since expaned his career to include film and television work, most notably as Alexandr Petrovsky on the HBO series Sex and the City.