| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HTA ID | HTA-0347 |
| Title | Baryshnikov at the Kennedy Center |
| Date | ~1975–1978 |
| Date Confidence | Moderate (Baryshnikov defected June 1974; early Washington appearances; WTOP era) |
| Program | Eyewitness News |
| Station | WTOP-TV Channel 9, Washington DC |
| Duration | ~3.5 minutes |
| Format | Arts feature / profile |
Henry profiles Mikhail Baryshnikov during a Kennedy Center appearance in Washington, capturing the extraordinary physicality and artistry of the dancer who had recently defected from the Soviet Union. The piece documents Baryshnikov's early American career and his impact on ballet in the United States.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| People | Mikhail Baryshnikov (dancer) |
| Organizations | WTOP-TV, Kennedy Center |
| Locations | Kennedy Center, Washington DC |
| Subjects | Ballet, Soviet defection, dance |
| Themes | Artistic genius, freedom and art, Cold War cultural politics, physical transcendence |
| Keywords | Baryshnikov, ballet, Kennedy Center, defection, Soviet Union, dance |
| Career Period | WTOP-TV Eyewitness News (1974–1979) |
Transcript is from a digitized compilation tape (filename indicates segment 17 of a WTOP tape). Full quotation extraction limited by transcription quality.
This piece belongs to Henry's "Nine Muses" arts coverage at WTOP — the same branded cultural segment that produced the Springsteen (HTA-0338) and Tony Randall (HTA-0342) pieces. Baryshnikov's defection in 1974 was one of the major cultural events of the Cold War era, and his early American appearances were significant news events. Henry's access to Baryshnikov at the Kennedy Center demonstrates the reach of his arts beat at WTOP.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Theme | Arts/performance — connects to Springsteen (HTA-0338), Tony Randall (HTA-0342), Aaron Copland (HTA-0348), Carol Channing (HTA-0354) |
| Segment | "Nine Muses" arts feature at WTOP |
| Career Period | WTOP Eyewitness News — arts beat |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source File | Baryshnikov Wtop10.mp4_17.txt |
| Alternate Files | None identified |
| Source Location | /transcript macwhisper/ (root folder) |
| Transcription Quality | Fair — digitized from compilation tape |
| Repository Status | Preserved in Source Repository |
The filename "Wtop10.mp4_17" indicates this was the 17th segment extracted from a WTOP compilation tape labeled "10." This tape archaeology confirms Henry preserved his WTOP work on numbered compilation reels, with multiple segments per tape. Baryshnikov defected from the Kirov Ballet during a tour of Canada in June 1974 and quickly became the most celebrated dancer in the Western world. His early Kennedy Center appearances would have been major cultural events in Washington.