Mi⋅kha⋅il /mɪˈkeɪl;Russ.myɪxʌˈyil/Show Spelled Pronunciation[mi-keyl;Russ.myi-khuh-yeel]Show IPA, born 1948, Russian ballet dancer, born in Latvia, in the U.S. since 1974.
Ba·rysh·ni·kov (bə-rĭsh'nĭ-kôf') Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer who, after performing with the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), defected to the United States (1974), where he danced for and later directed the American Ballet Theater. In 1990 he helped found the White Oak Dance Project, a modern-dance company, which he directs.