Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, two of the best Ballet and tap dancers America has seen. They are together in one movie and both of them shed light on the life of a Russian dancer. Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a ballet dancer, wants to dance for himself not because someone is telling him to dance, and if he doesn’t he goes to jail. Raymond Greenwood (Gregory Hines), a black tap dancer, wants to get out of the Apollo and to a place where his art is appreciated. Gregory thinks that places is Russia but little does he know, the freedom America offers is a no brainer compared to the hell Russia puts its citizens through. Nikolai is in a plane crash and it lands him in a Russian hospital, where he defected and remains a hated criminal. Getting out of the country is going to be next to impossible and through his journey he lives with Raymond who doesn’t agree with his view on America until the Russians take advantage of him. The two grow to love each other through scandals and escape routes.
Enough with the plot, I want to talk about Mikhail’s dance ability and flawlessness of it. He did 11 pirouettes in a row after a bet was made that he couldn’t do 10. Mikhail knows his body, he knows what he can do and he knows the impact he has on people. His center is perfect and his fluidity is unbelievable. For a ballerina like me, it inspires me to be the very best ballerina I can be. I want to be my best because he worked to get to his best. Only one thing will get me there; God. I have become a level 7 ballerina in 5 classes. I can only thank the person who created me, the one who helped me become who I am to this day. Watching Mikhail dance I only think about how impactful he is on the dancers who watch him. He wouldn’t dance because he was told; he danced when he wanted too, when he felt like it. He danced for himself. I will dance for God.
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