HAVANA (AP) — As a young dancer compared with ballet legends Vaslav Nijinsky and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rolando Sarabia made headlines around the world when he abandoned Cuba in 2005 for a career in the United States.
He didn't dance in his homeland for 13 years, banned as part of a wider Cuban punishment of citizens who illegally left the country.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Latvia on Thursday paid tribute to Mikhail Baryshnikov by granting citizenship to the ballet dancer, choreographer and actor who was born in the Baltic nation when it was part of the Soviet Union and later became a U.S. citizen.
The unanimous decision by lawmakers was made in recognition of Baryshnikov's civic involvement and his "voicing of political beliefs in support of democratic values and human rights."