【明報專訊】Among the things I revisit to maintain my sense of wonder is this one-minute video clip dating back to the 1970s showing the choreographer Balanchine teaching the great dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov the role of The Prodigal Son: we see Balanchine demonstrating the steps in the last scene of the biblical tale, when Baryshnikov's character, now broken in body and spirit, sees his father from afar and drags himself towards home to beg for forgiveness. Balanchine was so compelling in conveying the character's anguish through wild eyes, tense facial muscles and a gait that was at once hesitant and determined, that Baryshnikov's attempt to follow suit seemed contrived by comparison.