Mikhail Baryshnikov, the renowned ballet dancer who has conquered the worlds of dance, film, and most recently television, was recently honored by the SF State International Center for the Arts with a lifetime achievement award.

He is only the third recipient of the George and Judy Marcus Award, a $25,000 prize named in honor of two SF State alumni and given to artists who have contributed greatly to visual and performing arts. This event is a part of the SF State “Bridging the Baltic” series and pays tribute to Baryshnikov’s Latvian roots.

On March 21, the day of his awards ceremony at the Palomar Hotel, Baryshnikov sat down and talked about life, the performing arts, and what it feels like to be known as "the guy from 'Sex and the City.'"

[X]PRESS: What was your reaction when you found out you were receiving this lifetime achievement award?

BARYSHNIKOV: Well, it is always pleasant; it is better than a bad review. If they give you some award for what you have done, it is always pleasant news.

[X]: But you have probably received a lot of awards, so what makes this one special? As for the money, do you plan on funneling it back into the arts?

B: Well, it is a formidable organization and it celebrates Baltic countries. I grew up until I was 16 in Latvia and for me it is a bit of nostalgia and it is a great honor. Plus, I was given the chance to be a sort of art curator for a second. They gave me the opportunity to invite one of the ensembles of dancing or music or whatever. I chose Kremerata Baltica to come here and it is wonderful that this organization made this possible. They are here tonight and they will be performing with Gidon Kremer (the orchestra leader), my childhood friend and great fiddle player. It is his orchestra and it will be fabulous.

[X]: So when you began performing professionally in Moscow at the age of 15 ...

B: It was not Moscow and it was not at age 15. I started to perform professionally in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) at age 18.

[X]: I thought I read it ...

B: (in a playfully stern voice): You didn’t do your homework! Everything is on the Web. Check it later. Don’t worry about it.

[X]: (laughing) Okay, when you started performing professionally in Leningrad at the age of 18, did you see yourself reaching this level of fame?

B: You know, I never thought about this level of fame. When I started to work at the Kirov Ballet (in Leningrad), I was known as much as other people were known. I never specifically worked or dreamed
of becoming more or different, the fame ... there was no time for fame.

[X]: Tell me a little bit about the Baryshnikov Center for the Arts.

B: It is a foundation that provides some friendly programs for young artists, college graduates, and young professionals throughout the disciplines of art: music, dance, visual arts, playwrights, actors, whatever. We just moved in, it is a new building. At the Tisch School of the Arts (at New York University) we have summer programs for college graduates. We raise enough money to provide the participants with a stipend and production money and we invited some mentors. We have residencies, exhibits, and musical concerts. We are trying to be art-friendly.

[X]: Are you still dancing? If not, when was your last performance?

B: Yes, I am still dancing. As a matter of fact, I will dance (at University of California at Berkeley) in June, at the Zellerbach Playhouse. I am taking students from NYU and Julliard with me on tour. There will be 14 dancers, myself included, in new pieces. We are going to a few cities in the United States and then we are going to Spain. I am doing mostly new work that I am interested in.

[X]: Well, how about acting? We all know you made quite a splash as Aleksandr Petrovsky on “Sex and
the City”...

B: (laughing) See, you remembered that name!

[X]: Everybody told me I had to ask you about that! So what kind of impact did that (appearance) have on your public profile?

B: Of course people scream ‘it is that guy from Sex and the City.’ I take the subway in New York City and sometimes, I have interesting conversations about whether Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker’s character on “Sex and the City”) was right or wrong—or what I think about Mr. Big (Chris Noth’s character on “Sex and the City”)! But, otherwise it was a really interesting experience. Television looks glamorous and all that, but it is a really hard job. They work very hard and long hours, but (the cast) was really great to me.

[X]: How does it compare to your work in other films you have been in?

B: The work in television is very different. It is much more compact and a lot more pressure than working in the movies. In the movies you work for two, three or sometimes four months, but in television work, it is very hard. You have to be quick on your feet, have mental endurance and work with a few hours sleep sometimes.

[X]: What personal challenges have you had over the years?

B: Oh my God, personal challenges. I have four children and a couple of grandchildren and the personal challenge is to be a normal dad. A lot of times I was an absent father, traveling and working and trying to balance it, trying to give (my kids) enough comfort.

[X]: Is there anything in your life you would have done differently?

B: Oh, there is no time to even think about it. Of course, there were some stupid moments in life and wasted moments. If there is any advice I can give to young people, it is to try and avoid the emptiness in (life), because life is passing at such a speed that you will be sorry for a lot of personal stupidity sometimes.