(born Jan. 28, 1948, Riga, Latvia, U.S.S.R.) Latvian-born U.S. dancer. After entering the Kirov Ballet's training school in St.
Petersburg in 1963, he joined the company as a soloist in 1966. There he quickly became popular with Soviet audiences, dancing leading roles created for him in ballets such as Gorianka (1968) and Vestris (1969). He defected while on tour in Canada in 1974. He danced with American Ballet Theatre until 1978, winning enormous acclaim, and he served as its artistic director from 1980 to 1989. He danced and acted in several movies and on television.
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