Mikhail Baryshnikov

After his 1974 defection from the Kirov Ballet in Toronto, he averaged 150 performances per season, and his 1977 film *The Turning Point* earned an Academy Award nomination, introducing ballet to millions of cinema-goers. As artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1980 to 1989, he transformed the company's repertoire, expanding it by 30% with works from choreographers like Twyla Tharp. Later, he co-founded the White Oak Dance Project in 1990, performing 40 contemporary works over a decade. His 1985 performance of *The Nutcracker* on PBS drew 12 million viewers, the highest ballet broadcast audience in history at that time.