“Mr. Baryshnikov/Mr. Brodsky” show in Riga on October 15, 2015

Mr. Baryshnikov met Mr. Brodsky in 1974 quickly after the poet had been pressured by the Russian government to depart his home nation and had moved to the USA.

I remember that in the 90-s was open the Apartment-Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, dedicated to Anna Akhmatova, a great Russian poetess unknown before. So, I rushed there and to the left there was a small room with the exposition of verses and life sketches dedicated to Joseph Brodsky. It was a new name for me, so I read fully everything what was in expose. I remember reading how the policemen asked him: “Who are you by profession?” And he answered: “A poet.” “What are you doing for living?’, they continued. “Nothing.” He was expelled from his native country for idle-living.

“That was cruel”, I thought to myself.

He is explaining himself in his interview about poetry.

“Brodsky’s poetry made a massive impression on my life and artistic credo”, said Mr. Baryshnikov in his late interview by phone before the Riga performance.

Mikhail Baryshnikov performed a new solo work based mostly on the poems of Joseph Brodsky, created for him by Alvis Hermanis, the director of the New Riga Theater in Riga, Latvia, the place where Mr. Baryshnikov was born in 1940 to a regular family: mother: Alexandra Kisseleva, a dress maker, who was fond of ballet, and father: Nikolay Baryshnikov, an engineer by profession..

Called “Brodsky/Baryshnikov”, the piece had its premiere on October 15th. A tour to America is deliberate for 2016.

That was not a pure dance, but some sort of physic language.

To watch this unique performance was really interesting.