Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra DVD

Mikhail Baryshnikov performs in three ballets full of human drama, choreographed by Twyla Tharp. In one sense, they all tell the same story - the vitality, daring, intelligence, and emotional depth that a great dancer possesses, and a brilliant choreographer's vision of that dancer and of dance itself.

As Mikhail Baryshnikov says in the commentary that links the ballets, Twyla Tharp is "classical but in a new way." She has the classical artist's regard for form and technique and a musicality that some compare to that of George Balanchine, but her approach is always personal, radical and contemporary.

• The Little Ballet 
  The Little Ballet, to music by Alexander Glazounov, offers Baryshnikov, Deirdre Carberry, and three other American Ballet Theater dancers in a sweet-tempered, fluid work that makes subtle allusions to the dreamer-hero-elusive-heroine ballets of the 19th century. 
  
• Sinatra Suite
  In Sinatra Suite, Baryshnikov and Elaine Kudo evoke the less innocent world of Sinatra's moody, bittersweet voice - from thetender "Strangers in the Night" to the tough and contentious "That's Life."
• Push Comes to Shove
  Push Comes to Shove, created by Tharp in 1976 for American Ballet Theater, can be seen as a witty and affectionate tribute to a major ballet company - its casual rehearsal behavior and backstage commotion, as well as its traditional grandeur and polished performing.