MakarovaFan Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 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 Link to comment
Giannina Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 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 Link to comment
lampwick Posted June 7, 2004 Share Posted June 7, 2004 legs:Maria Kowroski wins by a long shot feet:Alessandra Ferri arms and hands...hard to say. I see a lot of NYCB . Link to comment
carbro Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 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 . . . ? Link to comment
Cygnet Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Legs: Maximova/Guillem/Zakharova/Kent Feet: Maximova/Makarova/Ferri/Zakharova/Fracci/Kolpakova Hands: Fonteyn/Makarova/Ulanova/Komleva/Terekhova Arms: Plisetskaya/Tchyentchikova/Asylmuratova/Thesmar/Pavlenko Link to comment
Hans Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 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 Link to comment
mohnurka Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 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. Link to comment
Dansuer85 Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 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. Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 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 Link to comment
carbro Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 I'd like to add another part: Eyes. Whose? Zhanna Ayupova. Link to comment
perky Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 Eyes: Suzanne Farrell Smile: Patricia McBride Profile: Alexandra Danilova Link to comment
MakarovaFan Posted June 11, 2004 Author Share Posted June 11, 2004 Eyes: Fonteyn Smile: Fonteyn/McBride Link to comment
Roma Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 Eyes: Ananiashvili/Ayupova/Farrell (alphabetically ) Arms and hands: Ananiashvili (exquisite and completely expressive)/Ayupova Face: Farrell Legs and feet: Farrell and Maximova Link to comment
DanceActress Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 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 Link to comment
GeorgeB fan Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 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 Link to comment
Lovebird Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Legs: Darcey Bussell Feet: Lynn Seymour Arms: Margot Fonteyn Hands: Margot Fonteyn Face: Antoinette Sibley Link to comment
silvy Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Here I go: Legs: Alla Sizova / Altynai Asylmulatova / Nadezhda Pavlova / Suzanne Farrell / Merrill Ashley / Yelena Yevteyeva Feet: Alessandra Ferri / Paloma Herrera Arms: Ulyana Lopatkina / Alla Sizova / Margot Fonteyn / Carla Fracci / Alessandra Ferri / Natalia Makarova / Yelena Pankova Hands: Larissa Lezhnina / Viviana Durante / Margot Fonteyn Face: Nadezda Gracheva / Gabriella Komleva / Yulia Makhalina Link to comment
Guest ABTwannabe Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 legs :ashley bowder feet :angel corella arms/hands:i dunno profile: suzzane farrell face:kent eyes:kent :rolleyes: smile:ashley bowder Link to comment
Marga Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 face:kenteyes:kent I assume from your other choices (and from your screenname!) that you are of the younger generation and are referring to Julie Kent. I submit that Allegra Kent could easily fulfill those two categories of "Ballerina's Best Feature" as well! Link to comment
oberon Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Legs: Maria Kowroski Hair: Janie Taylor or Darci Kistler Eyes: Kyra Nichols or Wendy Whelan Hands: Martine van Hamel (the all-time champ in this category) Face: Jenifer Ringer/Pauline Golbin/Carla Korbes and several dozen honorable mentions Smile: Patty McBride Ashley Bouder (not Bowder!) has rather short legs. But they look long in her stretched-out jump. On the other side of the coin, Best Butt in Ballet = Nilas Martins. Link to comment
Yvonne Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 Hmmm.... Face: Allegra Kent Feet: Gelsey Kirkland Arms: Julie Kent Legs: Cynthia Gregory Profile....yes, Suzanne Farrell has a fantastic profile! Link to comment
ConstanzaElisabeth Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 I have heard that Guiseppina Bozacchi, the first Swanhilda, had the most expressive hands...I have not seen enough ballets to have favorites! Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Smile: Altynai Asylmuratova (not even close, she could brighten up a nuclear proliferation summit with her smile) Legs: Svetlana Zakharova, Tananquiel LeClercq, Suzanne Farrell, Darcey Bussell, Sylvie Guillem, Irina Dvorovenko, Yulia Makhalina (the mile-long leg ladies), Arms: Natalia Makarova, Alessandra Ferri, Alina Cojacaru Eyes: Margot Fonteyn, Gelsey Kirkland, Maya Plisetskaya Face: Irina Dvorovenko, Veronika Part, Jenifer Ringer, Altynai Asylmuratova, Svetlana Zakharova, Darcey Bussell, Alina Cojacaru, Suzanne Farrell, Tanaquiel LeClercq Back: here the Russians win hands down. Maya Plisetskaya was maybe the first, but then it's been seemingly de rigeur for Russian-trained ballerinas to be able to arch their backs to an almost unbelievable extent. Natalia Makarova and Altynai Asylmuratova maybe take modern-day honors for the ability to make their backs look like jelly. It almost makes you wonder if they had ribs removed. Link to comment
BalletNut Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Legs: Yulia Makhalina, Maria Kowroski, Sylvie Guillem Arms: Natalia Makarova, Darci Kistler, Gillian Murphy Face: Julie Kent, Altynai Asylmuratova, Antoinette Sibley, Jenifer Ringer, Alina Cojocaru Feet: Paloma Herrera, Patricia Barker, Isabel Guerin, Alexandra Ansanelli, Darcey Bussell Hands: Zhanna Ayupova, Martine van Hamel, Miranda Weese Hair: Carla Korbes, Janie Taylor, Julie Diana Eyes: Viviana Durante, Ludmila Semenyaka, Nina Ananiashvili, Maria Alexandrova Smile: Kristin Long, Tina LeBlanc, Altynai Asylmuratova, Lorena Feijoo I think that about covers it! Link to comment
l321385 Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 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 <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Lisa Sundstrom is now my teacher. She will be pleased to hear that there is a "fan" out there. Link to comment
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