To Be Good, Dance Must Entertain - Baryshnikov

Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of this century's greatest dancers, answered the phone himself, for an interview about the White Oak Dance Project.

His voice was soft, thin, accented. His demeanor, thoughtful and carefully cordial. Then, warmer.

No secretaries for this star of stars, this Latvia-born U.S.S.R. defector now at home in the world of contemporary dancing and - with his successful bodywear and fragrance lines - capitalism.

Misha, as he is known to friends and acquaintances, was at home in New York with former American Ballet Theatre dancer Lisa Rinehart and their year-old daughter Anna, who yelped in the background until quieted by her mother.

He talked some of the White Oak Plantation on the Florida-Georgia border, where arts patron Howard Gilman has set up a Shangri-La for Baryshnikov and seven other dancers to rehearse new works by leading modern choreographers. Baryshnikov appears with the White Oak Project Aug. 13 at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre ($45-$60; 292-ARTS).

The dancer said the 7,500-acre White Oak farm reminds him of his homeland near the Baltic, where pines proliferate. He may go back home "some day" to see relatives and friends left behind when he defected from the then Soviet-controlled nation in 1974.

Nor has he looked back artistically, particularly in the past three or four years, since he resigned as artistic director of American Ballet Theatre. He's had a Broadway fling in Kafka's "The

Metamorphosis," and, with Seattle-born choreographer Mark Morris, began White Oak Dance Project - with dancers "borrowed" from other companies.

"We've been working nonstop," Baryshnikov said. "Commissioning pieces, working with different choreographers. Dancing this program in New York this spring."

White Oak has eight dancers including Baryshnikov, and travels with a chamber-music quintet. Rinehart and daughter Anna come along.

"Seattle will understand what we are doing," Baryshnikov said. "A lot of people, when they hear it's contemporary or modern dance, say, `I will wait for `Nutcracker.' But they shouldn't worry. Our dance is very accessible, for people who love to dance, and for people who love to see dance. People shouldn't think they won't understand it."

Baryshnikov has been quoted as saying he does not differentiate between ballet and modern dance: "Good dance is good dance."

Then what, to him, is good dance?

"Good dance has to be entertaining, because dance is entertainment," he noted. "There is light entertainment, complex entertainment, or dramatic. But it is entertainment. That's the most important quality for me when I go to the theater. I want to be moved sometimes. But at the same time it's entertainment because I'm not bored."

Dancers carry the load

Who carries the most responsibility for making the work entertaining, not ponderous or boring? Choreographers, musicians, or dancers?

"Dancers. It's all on our shoulders. Sometimes dancers can save a mediocre choreography. Blame it on us."

On this tour to 12 West Coast cities, White Oak will dance a revival of modern-dance pioneer Hanya Holm's "Jocose" set to Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano; Twyla Tharp's "Pergolesi" to pieces by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, and Morris' two dances "Mosaic and United" set to Henry Cowell's String Quartet 3 and 4.

Baryshnikov is dancing in the Tharp (a lengthy solo) and the Morris (an ensemble piece). He also may present short, unscheduled surprise dances.

"I admire Mark's work, respect it well" said Baryshnikov. "That works both ways. We give proper treatment to the material. This new piece, a very serious piece to serious music, is challenging for musicians and dancers, a dance for five people."

Baryshnikov considers Morris and Tharp among the most interesting choreographers of the past couple of decades, "definitely favorites."

White Oak is doing well

He envisions the White Oak Project going on "as long as we do good work. It's really rolling well. We have so much demand in Europe, South America, the Far East. It's difficult to stop."

One of his top partners in White Oak is Kate Johnson, "a great artist" who is a former Paul Taylor Dance Company muse. "I think she found another life in our group," Baryshnikov said.

Also with White Oak's current tour are Rob Besserer, Nancy Colahan, John Gardner, Marianne Moore, Kevin O'Day, and Ruthlyn Salomons, and the White Oak Chamber Ensemble directed by Michael Boriskin.

Baryshnikov said he doesn't miss ABT at all. "No no no!"

In this 10th anniversary year of the death of choreographer George Balanchine, many companies - including Pacific Northwest Ballet - have been staging Balanchine works. What does Barysnhikov think of the man he worked for in the mid-1970s?

"He was an incredible man. It's interesting to see new generations of dancers interpreting his work. There's a lot of controversy going around on what's surviving and what's not. It's a lot of nonsense on both sides."

Baryshnikov did see Pacific Northwest Ballet's Patricia Barker dance at New York City Ballet's recent 10th anniversary Balanchine Gala. He described her as "quite wonderful."

At 45, how is Baryshnikov's dance instrument - his body, particularly his injury-plagued knees - holding up?

"Twyla's piece is really very tough on me, very long, and technically demanding," he said. "But I'm really doing well, and am very happy."

He has no other theater, film or book projects in the works. He just keeps busy with White Oak, which spends four to six weeks in White Oak learning and rehearsing works and a few months each year touring. He also spends some time overseeing fragrance and bodywear lines. And rests for a month every so often.