Starting with Viviana Durante! There are videos on the site. Check out Giselle....and more.

http://www.vivianadurante.com/

and the fabulous Nina Ballerina!

http://www.ananiashvili.com/

more Viviana info:

http://www.balletmasterclass.com/staff/viviana.htm

Darcey Bussell and Miyako Yoshida of the Royal Ballet.

And yes joules, definitely Nina Ananiashvili of the ABT!!

Mary, don't you just love Darcey? Starting with her name! She seems like she would be really nice to have as a friend; at least that is my impression. I will have to find info about Miyako next.

Now, I am wondering what perfumes they like, especially Viviana. I may send her an email, just to ask.

I like Julie Kent very much. My parents used to take me to the Lincoln Center Balanchine ballets in the 1960's, when the skies were lit with the dancing stars of the NYCB. I had know idea how lucky I was - just thought everyone who was interested was seeing such beauty. I loved Marcia Haydee, too, who was the principal dancer with the Stuttgart during John Cranko's reign.

Alexandra Dalinova . . .

I also love Paloma Herrera:

http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=28

Link to image of Paloma dancing in Don Quixote (I love this photo!):

http://www.abt.org/gallery/detail1.asp?Image_ID=731

About Julie Kent:

http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=23

Without a doubt, Gelsey Kirkland is my all-time favorite. She may have been a pain-in-the-butt to work with, but she was superb !!

Allegra Kent and Suzanne Farrell are also high on my list...

Of contemporary dancers, I really like Alessandra Ferri and Julie Kent.

Paloma Herrera is lovely, but I feel like she only dances from the waist down...

I know this is going to sound weird but the Ballerinas never really grabbed my attention. Yes I did as a little girl try to do ballet for my grandfather in the living room.
But the male dancers with their power and grace always dazzled me.

I like La Gran Scena...all those men in tutus sends me!

Alas, we do not have that many ballerinas in Denmark, and I rarely see them anyway. If I had to pick an international favorite, I'd pick Suzanne Farrel.

My favorite is Suzanne Farrell. Such a natural. And I will watch any old footage of Margot Fonteyn. I saw her Ondine last year and loved it.

At ABT, I like Michelle Wiles and Veronika Part. The latter was the best Odile/Odette in Swan Lake that I had ever seen. Diana Vishneva is excellent, but she will never make me cry.

The best overall ballet company in the world, right now, I think is the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg. Their Anna Karenina which I saw last year was amazing. Maria Abashova who played Anna was great, but so was everyone else.