NYCB & SPAC No. 2 - Baryshnikov in Rubies

Photos by Beverly Gallegos for Dance Magazine.

“Ah, this pearl,” Mr. Balanchine mused aloud, “now how do I mount it?” 

--John Corry, New York Times, 1978

Mr. B said this in reference to Baryshnikov when he joined the company as he contemplated what roles would showcase him best. Misha made his company debut in Saratoga in 1978 in Coppélia (we’ll talk about that later this week), and shortly after he debuted in Rubies alongside Patricia McBride

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A review of Misha’s debut read: 

“The terrors of the tricky partnering however, were visibly overcome. It isn’t every male dancer who has to run around his ballerina while holding onto her waist as she does a pirouette. The ballerina on this occasion was a radiant Patricia McBride, obviously inspired by the concentration of an exciting new partner, and their central pas de deux blazed up at times like a flame.” Anna Kisselgoff,  New York Times, 1978

Patricia McBride, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Marnee Morris in Saratoga

Photos by Gjon Mili for LIFE Magazine, 1978.