If you’re a fan of classical ballet, then you may have heard of Mikhail Baryshnikov before. A famous male ballet dancer and dance director, Mikhail is considered one of the best dancers of his generation.
His daughter, Shura Baryshnikov continued his legacy by becoming a famous dancer, choreographer, educator, and actress … Today, just like her father, Shura is considered among the best her generation has to offer!
In this deep-dive biography, we’ll look at Shura Baryshnikov’s life and other details like her net worth, height, family, husband, and more.
Table of Contents
Who Is Shura Baryshnikov? Relate to Mikhail Baryshnikov?
- Fullname: Aleksandra Lange Baryshnikov
- Instagram: @slbaryshnikov (nearly 3K followers)
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches (1.67m)
- Career: dancer, choreographer, educator, actress
- Type of dance: Ballet
- Birthday: March 5th, 1981
- Zodiac: Pisces
- Father: Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Mother: Jessica Lange
- Siblings: 5 half-siblings
- Marital status: Bruce Bryan (Ex-husband)
- Networth: $4 Million
Shura Baryshnikov, full name Aleksandra Lange Baryshnikov, is the daughter of the famous Soviet-Latvian dancer and dance director Mikhail Baryshnikov with the American actress and Academy Award-winner Jessica Lange. She was born on March 5th, 1981 (a Pisces!) in Stillwater, Minnesota, US.
Like her father, Shura showcased her talent for dancing from when she was a child. Her study of classical ballet began early and continued for much of her younger life. Shura studied even when she had to follow her mother around the country to various filming locations.
Shura Baryshnikov’s height is around 5 feet 6, which is about the average for female ballet dancers.
Shura Baryshnikov’s Instagram Account
Shura – a fairly young dancer – is active on social media. Shura’s Instagram account currently has around 3,000 followers, and she regularly posts to update her followers on her life, current projects, and anything that comes to mind.
All in all, Shura’s Instagram account isn’t quite a “celebrity” account. Rather, it’s pretty much like your average Instagram page with some occasional selfies, funny photos, videos, or a few lines of updates. She also keeps Story Highlights of all the places and special shows she did around the world.
If you like Shura’s dancing and what she does, we highly recommend following her Instagram account (@slbaryshnikov).
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Shura Baryshnikov Family
Shura’s father is Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest male ballet dancers and directors. He was once the principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater and the New York City Ballet. Then, he was the artistic director for the American Ballet Theater.
But if you think that’s impressive, wait until you hear about her mother.
Shura’s mother is Jessica Lange, an American actress who has won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, five Golden Globe Awards, and more. She starred in many note-worthy movies like King Kong (1976) and the American Horror Stories TV show (2011-2015).
All in all, there’s a lot of talent running in the family!
Shura Baryshnikov’s siblings are plentiful. She has five half-siblings in total. Three of them are on her father’s side, one of whom is the actress Anna Baryshnikov. Two others are on her mother’s side.
Her half-sister, Anna Baryshnikov, pursued acting as a career. She debuted in Manchester by the Sea (2016) and most recently took a role in Apple TV+’s show Dickinson.
Shura Baryshnikov Marriage
While Shura is quite transparent about her professional life, she’s a very private person when it comes to her personal matters. Not much is known about her affairs, like her marriage status and the likes.
We do know that Shura Baryshnikov’s husband (ex) was Bruce Bryan, with whom she had two children after they married. Both of them were daughters, one was named Adan, and the other Isla Bryan.
According to one source, Shura is currently romantically involved with a male partner, but his name and identity are still unknown.
Shura Baryshnikov’s Net Worth
Shura is a woman of many talents. She’s a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and actor. All four of these ventures pay her very well. According to one reliable source of ours, Shura’s net worth may be around 4 million dollars.
Early Life: Shura Baryshnikov’s Educational Background
As we mentioned earlier, Shura started off as a ballet dancer at a very young age. Her parents discovered her talent and put her into classical ballet classes. She continued her education while she was following her mother to filming sites around the country.
But dancing wasn’t the only thing that she did. In high school, Shura also participated in diving, track-and-field, horse-riding, field hockey, and more.
After graduating from high school, Shura pursued a degree in American studies alongside theater and contemporary dance at Marlboro College in Vermont. Notably, while she’s at the school, Shura was a part of their in-house acapella group called Five-O’Clock Bells.
Check more: 10 Famous Female Dancers In History & Today
Shura Baryshnikov’s Professional Career
Shura is a teacher and dance instructor, first and foremost. She’s the head of Movement at Brown University and the Trinity Repertory Company MFA Program in Acting and Directing.
She also holds a position as an associate teacher in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University. There, she teaches improvisation, movement, and general dance skills.
Of course, she’s also a successful choreographer. She’s been hired by many organizations (The Wilbury Theatre Group, Trinity Repertory Company, and Elemental Theatre Collective, to name a few) to design their choreographies and serve as a movement consultant.
Shura is also an accomplished freelance dancer. She doesn’t perform under the umbrella of a ballet company. Rather, she has her brand. Usually, dancing freelance is extremely difficult for any dancer, but Shura managed just fine.
She was contracted by American Dance Legacy Initiative, Aerplaye Dance, Bridge Rep of Boston, Festival Ballet Providence, Lostwax Multimedia Dance, and Elemental Theatre Collective to perform in numerous productions hosted by them.
Final Words
Although one can say that Shura Baryshnikov’s life and accomplishments are quite overshadowed by her father’s and mother’s, she’s still an excellent person all on her own.
Shura is an accomplished dancer, a sought-after dance instructor that holds important positions in many famous institutions, and a great choreographer whose skills and knowledge in movement and dance are valued.
She has more than met up with the heavy expectation of being the daughter of the famous dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and actress Jessica Lange.
If you’d like to know her in greater detail, there are many great interviews with her that you can find online. You’ll also find recordings of some of her performances. For fans of ballet out there, we assure you, you won’t be disappointed watching Shura Baryshnikov’s dancing performances!