Baryshnikov Arts Center opens

Yesterday, the Novoye Russkoye Slovo’s Baryshnikov has opened his laboratory discussed Mikhail Baryshnikov’s latest project, the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) at the performing arts complex 37 ARTS (450 West 37th Street). The center’s goal is to be a laboratory of creativity and to inspire young, talented people.

The center occupies the top three floors of 37 Arts, a space that cost around seven million dollars, according to the NRS. Around six million has already been raised to cover the costs of the premises. Baryshnikov himself has put up over one million dollars towards the center’s operating expenses, with the remainder coming from donors and other sources.

“Baryshnikov’s name is has currency. His reputation is unusually high in the world of art and he is known by millions. Not only from old videos but also from recent modern dance performances and from Sex and the City. His expressive face has graced ads for very expensive watches which can be seen in magazines and in the programs of prestigious concert halls,” the paper states.

The NRS concludes, “A dancer, a director, an actor, an organizer and once again a dancer, he can at 57 years old still change his course more than once, guided by curiosity, thirsting for knowledge – qualities he believes are absolutely necessary for every creative person to have.”