A fun topic!!!!!!!! If you had to create the perfect ballet dancer's body for a female and male, how would you go about it if you had a magic wand?
Would you pick from the ballerina or danseur who has the best all-round body in ballet to you?
ORRRRRRRRRR.........
Would you do a Dr. Frankenstein routine and pick specific body parts that you like from a particular male/female ballet dancer............
Who has the best legs/thighs/calves/feet?
Who has the best arms/biceps/hands?
The best chest/abs/back?
The best buns?
The best head/eyes/cheeks/lips........hair?

Yes, we might be going into parts unknown!!!!!! But what fun!!

I will start out by saying that I just love Ms. Korovski fr. NYCB, for best all-round ballerina's ballet. Not only a great body for dance, but she looks great on the street too !!!!!!! Not the usual body for ballet.

I will also say I would kill for Carlos Acosta's thighs, for one day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your topic is an intriguing one, and I'm sorry it got lost in the shuffle. I wish I knew enough to respond.

But surely there are other Ballet Talkers who feel strongly about X's beautiful feet feet and Y's eloquent lower back!

Here's your chance to vote your preferences.

Bart Cook's back...

Elizabeth Loscavio's co-ordination.....

Sylvie Guillem's feet....

Vladimir Malakhov in toto.....

Nureyev's nostrils....

Antoinette Sibley in toto.

Oh, yes.

Nina Ananiashvili's arms

Maybe because I saw her just last night, but . . .
Paloma Herrera's whole lower half.

Eyes: Margot Fonteyn, Maria Kowroski
Legs: Nina Ananianisvili, Cyd Charisse, Darcy Busssell
Elongated body: Sylvie Guillem
Perfect conventional body: Margot Fonteyn is said to have had this, and it
certainly was lovely

Women:
Suzanne Farrell's neck.

Oh heck -- Suzanne Farrell's everything! Okay, maybe not her feet.

to continue with body parts:
Svetlana Lunkina -- face
Irina Dvorovenko -- face and knees
Larissa Lezhnina -- face and smile
Diana Vishneva -- arms and back
Maria Allash -- torso
Darcey Bussell and Yulia Makhalina -- legs
Anna Antonicheva and Svetlana Zakharova -- feet

skills and intangible qualities:
Alla Sizova -- ballon and height of jump
Lucia Lacarra -- flexibility
Michele Wiles -- balance
Gillian Murphy and Sofiane Sylve -- turns
Altynai Asylmuratova -- precision, technique in general
Melissa Hayden and Merrill Ashley -- speed
Allegra Kent -- mystique
Suzanne Farrell -- mystique and allure
Gloria Govrin -- sensuality


Men:

body parts:
Rex Harrington -- face
Marcelo Gomes -- neck, buns
Farouk Ruzimatov -- profile, arms, torso
Igor Zelensky -- legs, face, line
Tiit Helimets -- feet; watch for him in San Francisco Ballet next season -- he's just been contracted as a Principal Dancer from Birmingham Royal Ballet where he was the same (to which he went from the Estonian National Ballet)

skills and intangible qualities:
Eddie Villella -- jump, speed, musicality, verve
Jacques d"Amboise -- energy, speed, carriage
Fernando Bujones -- pure technique, line, carriage, stage command, explosivity
Mikhail Baryshnikov -- jump, turns, charisma
Angel Corrella -- turns, smile
Conrad Ludlow and Jock Soto -- partnering
Rudolph Nureyev -- jump, batterie, animal magnetism

I'm still trying to narrow down best hands.

I echo Paul Parish in Sylvie Guillen's feet.

Giannina

Women:

Alessandra Ferri: legs, feet, sensuality, eyes, accent
Nina Ananiashvilli: arms, neck, eyes
Darci Kistler: arms, hair, grace
Julie Kent: face, smile
Sofiane Sylve: whiplash turns and balance
Svetlana Zakharova: extension
Suzanne Farrell: mystique
Ashley Bouder: ballon
Maria Kowroski: allure

Men:

Julio Bocca- smile, torso, arms, hands, buns, sensuality, flashing eyes
Angel Corella- face
David Hallberg- legs, stature
Joaquin de Luz- smile
Bocca, Cornejo, Carreno- "hispanic testosterone"
Damian Woetzel- hair, flair


:rolleyes:

Thanks, Marga, for mentioning Melissa Hayden. She more than any other dancer is responsible for my original fascination with ballet, and I was depressed that I couldn't come up with something specific to put her on this list. Great, great dancer-performer.

Giselle05: I love the "hair, flair" characterization for Damian Woetzel I won't forget that.

Watching Sizova demonstrate in class will redefine "turnout" for you! I would choose her as my all-around ideal ballerina, although I'd graft on Fracci's acting ability.

Cynthia Gregory, IMHO, had the wittiest nose in ballet, after Tanaquil leClerq.