January 20, 2011, 4:06 pm

New York Times - Arts Beat

By DANIEL J. WAKIN

Stanford Makishi will step down as executive director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center on Feb. 28, the center said on Thursday. Mr. Makishi, 45, a Harvard-educated former dancer, has held the post for three years, serving as the right-hand man of Mikhail Baryshnikov, the founder and artistic director.

While he has no other job lined up, Mr. Makishi said he was considering several performance projects and would serve as artistic adviser for the Fall for Dance Festival this year at City Center. “I’m leaving, really, to pause in my own way and to evaluate what I’m doing next,” he said. “Given our timetable, it was seen as a really good time.”

Mr. Baryshnikov said Mr. Makishi told him the news in December, and said that a search for a successor would begin. “The executive director position is very office-anchored,” Mr. Baryshnikov said. “He’s a very creative guy.” The parting was amicable, he said. The Center credited Mr. Makishi with playing a role in more than doubling the budget, starting up a $15 million capital campaign, expanding an artist residency program and buying and renovating the center’s Jerome Robbins Theater.