I think Evdokimova, Kirkland, and Makarova performed the most beautiful grand jete of the recent past.

Who does it for you today?

For me the wonderful grand jeté are these of Marie-Agnès Gillot, premiere danseuse from POB, she is flying when she makes it

Regina Willoughby, soloist in my company, the Columbia City Ballet... she has no hip joints basically, so its beyond a split with hyperextended feet.... she sails... beautiful

Which just goes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder...since this view is totally at odds with the ones expressed in this thread on dropped-crotch grand jetés...

I have a poster of Makarova doing a grand jete from Act III of Don Q. Her legs are in a perfect split and just below hip level; her back is leg is slightly bent but in a perfect attitude line and perfectly turned out. Feet pointed with the toe of the back foot slightly higher than its heel. I've already used the word 3 times in this post but to me this is "perfection".

Giannina

As much as I don't like her dancing in other ways, Darcey Bussell has a wonderful grand jeté--a very strong grand battement with the front leg so that the resulting jump is huge. I have heard Lupe Serrano was also quite a jumper. However, the grand prize for me definitely goes to Sizova, who flew through the air like a spirit, and with perfect port de bras.

You guys, talking Olympic gymnastics or what? Higher jump, more split. OVERSPLIT - how far can you go?
No, back to a beautiful line, which involves arms and upper body as well as neck and angle of head - then you get a beautiful jete.
May the Almighty preserve us from these acrobats (of God) and let us see art in stead. As I said, it itsn't the gold medal of the 0lympics in a tutu.

Here, here. Aye, aye. I am not a fan of the hyperextended grand jete, either. I look for the beautiful, not the hyperextended, unnatual "tricks."

Would a comparison to Danish male dancers be appropriate here? (Or does the heading "beautiful" suggest we are only talking women dancers?) In his prime, it was said of Niels Kehlet that he looked more comfortable in the air than on the ground! The upper body is always so natural and relaxed. The arms and shoulders and hands contribute to the line, to the total image of the dancer in the air, whereas some of the hyper extended jetes all one is focussing on is the geometry of the legs. (I don't think that once during my ballet going in the 1960's did I ever hear a performance by a ballerina described using degrees!)

Tina Le Blanc........it always appears to me that she lifts upward twice in the jump.

Best,
B

Well, if male dancers are included as well, Nureyev comes to mind. Also, Viktor Baranov has particularly beautiful lines and a wonderfully light, soaring jump.

Of today's dancers -- I particular love Malakhov's grand jete which seems to draw a perfect arc through the air...and seeing Cojocaru dance for the first time just recently (well, a few days ago) I thought her grand jete looked just lovely -- light, soft, stretched out, but not overly so...and as the ghost Nikiya in Act III of Bayadere her final jumps suggested a genuinely otherworldly quality, particularly at the Monday evening performance. In the past, my great favorite was Kirkland -- particulary her leaps across the stage in Act I of La Sylphide which were breathtaking (Manhattnik has written about these several times on this board.)

Tatiana Terekhova and Elena Pankova, both formerly from the Kirov. Terekhova's was the highest and most impressive, Pankova's the prettiest. Both can be viewed and judged on video.

Mashinka -- I'm so glad you mentioned Terekhova -- she did a series of jumps across the stage in Paquita that were just fabulous. (That was the very first thing I saw her dance, and she immediately went on my list of great dancers...)

I absolutely agree about Terekhova. I always think of her if someone mentions great grand jeté. Splendid examples of this for me are her Mirta on Giselle tape with Zaklinsky/Mezenceva and The Dream Scene on Don Q video (she's Kitri and Ruzimatov is Basilio).