49 replies to this topic

[MakarovaFan]

I thought this would be a fun topic to explore.  Which ballerina has or had the most beautiful of the following features:

1)  Legs
2)  Feet
3)  Arms
4)  Hands

Feel free to add other features if you like.

My favorites are:

Legs:    Maximova/Bessmertnova
Feet:     Maximova/Ferri
Arms:   Makarova/Besmertnova/Plisetskaya
Hands:  Makarova/Fonteyn

[Giannina]

OK; I'll start.

Legs:  Early in here career when she carried more weight:  Wendy Whelan
Feet:  Guillem.  Honorable mention (very honorable):  Makarova
Arms and Hands:  Dunno; don't watch them too much

Giannina

[lampwick]

legs:Maria Kowroski wins by a long shot
feet:Alessandra Ferri
arms and hands...hard to say. I see a lot of NYCB .

[carbro]

Feet:  Gelsey Kirkland
Hands: Martine van Hamel, no runner up
Legs:  Alexandra Danilova, who even in old film clips makes you watch them
Arms: Maya Plisetskaya

You think genetic engineering has progressed to the point . . . ?

[Cygnet]

Legs:    Maximova/Guillem/Zakharova/Kent
Feet:     Maximova/Makarova/Ferri/Zakharova/Fracci/Kolpakova
Hands:  Fonteyn/Makarova/Ulanova/Komleva/Terekhova
Arms:   Plisetskaya/Tchyentchikova/Asylmuratova/Thesmar/Pavlenko

[Hans]

Legs:  Larissa Lezhnina/Altynai Asylmuratova
Feet:  Alla Sizova/Larissa Lezhnina
Arms:  Fracci, Kolpakova, Plisetskaya
Hands:  Usually if the arms are good, so are the hands

[mohnurka]

I think Yuliya Makhalina would be in several of those categories. Also, the Kirov/Mariinsky is deservedly famous for their arms... Not only the principals and soloists, but the corps as well.

[Dansuer85]

Legs:Kent/Yuan Yuan Tan
Feet: Guillem/Barker/Ferri
Arms: Julie Kent
Hands: The above or Mckerrow

Those are just ones off he top of my head an from the bigger companies. I know many dancers in smaller companies that have some of the ost beautiful legs and feet and arms.

[Amy Reusch]

Quote

I know many dancers in smaller companies that have some of the ost beautiful legs and feet and arms.

Although now retired, Lisa Sundstrom is still one of my favorites

[carbro]

I'd like to add another part:  Eyes. Whose?  Zhanna Ayupova.

[perky]

Eyes: Suzanne Farrell
Smile: Patricia McBride
Profile: Alexandra Danilova

[MakarovaFan]

Eyes:  Fonteyn
Smile: Fonteyn/McBride

[Roma]

Eyes: Ananiashvili/Ayupova/Farrell (alphabetically )
Arms and hands: Ananiashvili (exquisite and  completely expressive)/Ayupova
Face: Farrell
Legs and feet: Farrell and Maximova

[DanceActress]

What a great topic!

I'm going to limit my replies to dancers I've seen in person. So, here goes:


Legs: Sylvie Guillem, Maria Kowroski, Marie-Agnes Gillot
Feet: Veronika Part, Isabelle Guerin, Alessandra Ferri
Arms/Hands: Nina Ananiashvili, Julie Kent
Eyes: Mara Galeazzi

[GeorgeB fan]

Legs: Alexandra Danilova (the Marlene Dietrich of ballerinas), Kyra Nichols, Darcey Bussell, Svetlana Zakharova
Feet: Alessandra Ferri, Suzanne Farrell
Arms Natalia Makarova, Maya Plisetskaya, Judith Jamison (I know isn't a ballerina, but her arms was great)
Hands: Nina Ananiashvili, Darci Kistler
Profile: Suzanne Farrell
Face: Alexandra Danilova
Eyes: Julie Kent, Alessandra Ferri, Viviana Durante