Shura Baryshnikov was born in the United States and has performed as a dancer, choreographer, and actor. Jessica Lange and Mikhail Baryshnikov are her parents, and she is the daughter of the actress and the dancer. As a little girl, she accompanied her mother to numerous shooting sites, where she received training in classical ballet. She was a multi-sport athlete in high school, competing in track and field hockey and riding horses. Years later, Baryshnikov attended Marlboro College, where he completed a degree in American studies. A dedicated and accomplished dancer from infancy, she spent much of her life in tutus and pointe shoes.
Today, she is regarded as one of the most known dancers in the nation. While dance is the main joy of her life, she is a multi-talented woman with numerous interests across diverse professions. She has spent years as a dance professor at Brown University and dabbled in other fields, such as food preparation, arts management, and interior design. She has also performed in other plays, including Salome by Oscar Wilde, which she did at the Bridge Repertory Theater in Boston. On a personal level, Baryshnikov is a friendly and modest lady. She has a close relationship with her mother and other family members.
Career
Shura Baryshnikov works as a teaching associate at Brown University’s Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, mainly working with actors and directors, teaching dance, movement, and contact improvisation. She has acted as a choreographer and movement consultant with The Wilbury Theatre Group, Trinity Repertory Company, and Elemental Theatre Collective. Baryshnikov has also performed as a professional dancer in his spare time. She has performed in works by Betsy Miller, Ali Kenner-Brodsky and Heidi Henderson. She has also performed with the American Dance Legacy Initiative, Aerplaye Dance, Festival Ballet Providence, Elemental Theatre Collective, Lostwax Multimedia Dance and Bridge Rep of Boston.
Baryshnikov has taught dance at Salve Regina University, Rhode Island College, Dean College, Connecticut College, and MIT. She also works as a dance instructor at Moses Brown School. She has worked with the SITI Company under Anne Bogart as well. The American choreographer/dancer is also a component of the Actors’ Equity Association. She co-founded the Doppelganger Dance Collective, a dance group she created with Danielle Davidson.
At Boston’s Bridge Repertory Theater, Baryshnikov made her acting debut in the lead role of Salome. She was also a cast member in the musical ‘Oklahoma.’ Her works have been shown at the Moving Arts Lab at Earthdance, the RISD Museum, the Providence Fringe Festival, and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.
Personal Life
Shura Baryshnikov was born in 1981 in Stillwater, Minnesota, to Mikhail Baryshnikov and Jessica Lange. She has five half-siblings, including Anna Baryshnikov and Hannah Jane Shepard. Baryshnikov attended Marlboro College, where she majored in American studies and studied theatre and contemporary dance.