more russian stuff

I don't even want to hear about the Arshavin thing anymore. I have absolutely no idea what is going on there. So I'm gonna talk about another Russian.


[Scenes from The Turning Point]

Today marks the 61st birthday of Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time. I know that's a bold claim, but come on, let's be serious. The man is a joy to watch. Not only is his technique spotless, his turning effortless, and his jumping gravity-defying, but he has such expression in his movements (and his charisma on-screen makes him a great actor). It's no wonder there's a leap named after him.


[Don Quixote]


[I really wish this clip was better quality; it's such a great scene. If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's called White Nights, it's got Gregory Hines, Helen Mirren, and Isabella Rossellini in it, and Twyla Tharp did all the choreography. Also, you can't go wrong with Lou Reed in the background!]

So a very happy birthday to Mikhail!

And since I seem to be on a Russian roll today...Ovie helped the NHL East beat out the West 12-11 in the All Star game on Sunday. I didn't watch, because I didn't care enough to stay up all night. But we're back to regular season games now, so I suspect a few late nights in the near future.