Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov, the Soviet-born dancer, is noted for his technical prowess and engaging stage personality. Born in Riga (in present-day Latvia) in 1948, Baryshnikov joined the Kirov Ballet in 1967. He defected to the West in 1974 while touring Canada with the Bolshoi Ballet. He later danced primarily with the American Ballet Theatre (serving as its director from 1980 to 1989) and the New York City Ballet. Baryshnikov has performed in a broad array of works, from classical ballets to more modern dance roles, employing a range of styles for works by such choreographers as George Balanchine, a Russian-born American, and Twyla Tharp, an American. As an actor, he has appeared in films such as The Turning Point (1978) and White Nights (1985), and in a play, Metamorphosis (1989), based on a story by the Czech author Franz Kafka.