It wasn't Barishnikov. He was definitely doing step dancing, speaking with an Irish accent, and discussing the different traditions of tap/step. There was a passage in New Riverdance which had a duel between Irish and Afro-Americans on a similar theme. What he did did not take him up high, but the Nijinsky-like part was that at the peak of the jump. he paused before coming down. He did it several times. Each time the camera was only showing his legs (and from the position against the musicians behind it wasn't camera trickery) so I couldn't work out if he was lowering his centre of gravity in some way. If he was keeping the correct arm position throughout, I don't know any way it could be done.

Penny