In the world of professional ballet, star power doesn’t get much brighter or long-lasting than the kind Mikhail Baryshnikov has enjoyed during the course of his more than 30-year career (this not accounting for the fact that he was already famous in Russia when he defected in 1974). As far as ballet stars go, he’s about as Hollywood as it gets, so it seems like quite a coup that he’s going to begin his tour with Hell’s Kitchen Dance here in Buffalo. The brand new works—Aszure Barton’s Over/Come and Come In, and Benjamin Millepied’s Years Later—were created at the newly opened, NYC-based Baryshnikov Arts Center, which now functions as home for his original philanthropic venture, the Baryshnikov Foundation. The foundation has long fostered the arts of dance and choreography, and with this high-profile move Baryshnikov is establishing himself as a powerful patron of the arts as well as singular star of the ballet. In keeping with the times, Hell’s Kitchen Dance brings a video component to the performances—a multimedia aspect that may be unfamiliar to fans of classical ballet. The tour will work its way from Buffalo to San Francisco’s UC Berkeley, bringing Baryshnikov and a hand-picked troupe of dancers to state-of-the-art facilities around the country.

Thurs-Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at 2pm. UB Center for the Arts, Amhert Campus

(645-ARTS) www.ubcfa.org; $60.