The operative words are in the title: "for me". I'm sure we could all add to the list, but these are her personal choices. This is a perfectly respectable list. Thanks for posting.

Great list! But I'd also consider Galina Ulanova, Natalia Makharova, Sylvie Gillem, Alessandra Ferri and Gelsey Kirkland

Yes!! Svetlana is the best!

Lopatkina is the best adagio dancer ever! Thanx for Alina been listed! She is her airness!!! Never mind of her xstyle legs )))) l love it )))

Gelsey Kirkland??? She was a gorgeous example of perfection, grace, speed, and stamina in the ballet world.

She is very good. Probably better than any mentioned here. For services to ballet, and fame, Anna Pavlova is and will be surely number one. She is like Caruso when it comes to singing. Anna made ballet popular for everyone. She was as famous then as Beyonce is now.

Svetlana is my favorite! I love her so much, she is my ballet role model!!!!!

Osipova, with her truly incomparable artistry, IS Swanhilda, portraying her clever humor, irrepressible spirit and abstract understanding of human nature ( wheat dance) as she grows into her womanhood. A remarkable and balanced performance of unparalleled perfection and a gift to this generation and history of "the dance".

My favorite ballerina is Svetlana Zacharova

As I watched your countdown, I had to figure Natalia Makarova #1. I was surprised but what a nice list and thanks for sharing. It's my new "name your top 10" game :)

Nina Kaptsova is not mentioned. She is one of the best for me and her many fans!

No people she didn't forget or leave out anything. Hello??? It's HER/HIS list of favourite dancers. It's a subjective stance. This isn't claiming to be the official list of top dancers in the world. Why don't you all share your own opinions and stop lambasting this video for its opinion. Here's mine (1st two are top spots and rest in no particular order) 1. Alina Cojacaru 2. Ekaterina Maksimova 3. Aurelie Dupont 4. Nina Ananiashvili 5. Carla Fracci 6. Gillian Murphy 7. Zenaida Yanowsky 8. Darcey Bussell 9. Miyako Yoshida 10. Yulia Makahalina There are so many great dancers out there of past and present. People choose their lists on preference not just because someone is deemed legendary. Thanks for sharing your list MarLefMou!

For me Gelsey Kirkland and Natasha Makarova should have been on the list.

Uliana Lopatkina???

Gillian Murphy is a wonderful artist, an especially as seen in the 2nd Act of "Swan Lake," with Angel Corella, in the 2005 version. She is also an artist of the 1st degree in other ballets as well. I am glad that Angel got his dream and finally formed the "Corella Ballet" in Barcelona. He explaind in another video how much ballet is under appreciated in Spain, and had danced at the Kennedy Center, and shook Queen Elizabteth's hand, but not from the monarchy in his own country. What great artists

I'm agree with you Zakharova is the best ballerina in the world

People get so offended when Zakharova is rated as one of the best ballerinas. They always like to bring up how rigid or cold she is OR how her extensions are too gymnastic and unnecessary.... Zakharova is in a league of her own and that takes nothing away from ballerinas who are dancing now or who have come before her. She is otherworldly and an ARTIST. Having seen her live I can't say I could fully comprehend she was even human lol.

They are all beautiful, but Ekatarina Maximova is one of my number 1's....

Gillian Murphy and those fouettes... Blows my mind every time.

You are absolutely right. The hyper-exquisite Svetlana Zakharova is No.1!!!!

Respeto. tu elección. Pero tal vez deberías hacer una lista, más. larga: Dónde está Natalia. Makarova, Ekaterina Maximova, Galina.Mezentzeva, Altynay Asylmuratova, Carla Fracci. y nada menos que. Ulyana Lopatkina?...

svetlana zhakarova and polina semionova are the best... I love them

Fun that you have created this list ! There are so many wonderful artists out there, it's kind of hard to make a list. On my list, I would include Sylvie Guillem, Beatrice Knop, and the very beautiful Olga Smirnova, as well. Lists aren't so easy to make with all of these great ballerinas ! (:

I can see now that you are featuring the best 10 ballerinas of today, and look most forward to exploring more of you site as well. Thank you again! WilesWales

1. Sylvie Guillem!!

Fascinating to read everyone's remarks here!!...especially the apparent consensus!! (So difficult to have favorites when there are hundreds to name!) Jan

Everyone should watch Maya Plisetskaya Bolero!!! It's amazing!

I think number 9 should have been number 1 :) The dying swan scene, is absolutely wonderful :)

1: Sylvie Guillem!!!!!

It is intersting you did not know about Uliana Lopatkina back then, but you knew about Alina Somova. Anyway! Nice listing!

Paloma Herrera, Viengsay Valdez, Viviana Durante, Alessandra Ferri, Larissa Leshnina, Yoko Morishita, Cynthia Gregory, Cecília Kerche, Cinthia Harvey, Altinay Asylmuratova.

Great list, great clips. Taste is subjective and I think all of these dancers are beautiful, I also like Darcey Bussell and Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire It's not merely technique that makes someone brilliant- 'feelings' come into it always.

Charming video! Thanks for showing a little footage for each and for including some greats of the past as well as present. My favorite ballerina of all time will probably always be Martine van Hamel, and it is depressingly hard to find footage of her apart from the few Live from Lincoln Center rep bills. But she was dancing in one of ballet's golden eras: Makarova, Gregory, Farrell. These days, I'm collecting what I can of Obraztsova. But Zhakarova: best White Swan pdd ever at Bolshoi gala!

She had 8 operations after that, is still the Director at 91 of the Ballet National de Cuba. Also, Gillian Murphy's fouttes are right on a postage stamp although this kind of fouette or any other deviating from the original 32 is easier to do. The momentum and force of the turn only then requires a head snap, etc. If one has seen this, Kevin McKenzie even says he decided to do this for show in 2005, as these were meant to clench Zigfried ultimately, and precipiate the tragedy. Thank you!

For me Margot Fonteyn witll always be the greatest artist... plus she got me most interested in ballet :D

a very fine selection, from the older school to the present, most excellent!

Evgenia obrastzova its one of the most beautiful ballerinas in the world

Thank you - beautiful video. My favorites would include Margot Fontaine, Altynai Asylmuratova, Kaleria Fedicheva, Gelsey Kirkland. Fedicheva is the most memorable dancer in my memory. I saw her in the Kirov in the 1960's.

I can also see that you featured the 10 top ballerinas dancing today. I will have to take in more you you site in the coming days. Thank you, again! WilesWales

I absolutely agree with your List! Great Video

Beautiful video! I agree with your choice, especially Alexandrova, Nunez and Zakharova are some of my favs, too. A very important addition for me is Alina Cojocaru, an incredibly musical artist. Thanks for sharing and a happy new year!

They were all exquisite! Thanks MarLefMou for putting it together, I found it very lovely to watch. It's why I love ballet.

also Nina Ananiashvili and Silvie Guillem

i'm obsessed with Svetlana , she is always PERFECT

It was difficult for me to choose everyone's position but I was 1000% sure about Svetlana's position! Im obsessed with her!

Ульяна Лопаткина самая лучшая!

wonderful photos¡¡¡ great video¡¡¡ congratulations. by the way, ¡ they are my favourite dancers too :-)

What about Evgenia Obraztsova!

Correct. Ulanova was well regarded in the Soviet Union also.

I'm glad you included some "oldies but goodies" like Plisetskaya and Alexandrova :-)

Ekaterina Maximova is not mentioned! It's unbelievable.

Thanks for the sharing. I really like it.

The video is beautiful! For my the number one is Polina Semionova but all the ballerina in the video are wonderful! :)

Fabulosa seleccion de todo mi gusto, gracias.

i agree!!lopatkina is my number one!!!

Yaay! Go go Zakharova!!!

#1 Polina...beauty in motion. None more limber or expressive. The body's rhythm & tone in incomparable. Great timing & ease of motion.

I agree, and the different styles in "Le Corsaire" for Nunez and Polina are each an artist of their own, and this is what different styles are so very important. Natalia is great in "Giselle," Act I as well. Light as she can be giving no idea as to how much more lightly she will dance in Act II. Margot Fonteyn, is one sees her Aurora "Grande Pas de Deux," Act IV, "Sleeping Beauty with David Blair is magnificent. She was initially buried in a paupers grave, but now has a gande one in England.

MarLefMou, I am sorry, but most don't leave the best for last like you did. Zakharova is the best here and give the best interpretation I have seen in years, as I have seen so many "Black Swans," I didn't look at her as well as I should have. I think you've done a superb job here. Also, please forgive me for mixing up the Nikiya with another in "La Bayadere," and not "Le Corsaire." I think this video is a marvelous. Whatever you do, it seems to be done with the greatest!

What is the name of the first song with Carmen?

When top ballerinas are mentioned is absolutely necessary to include Alicia Alonso, like Margot Fonteyn and Maya Plisetskaya

I can see now how MarLefMou evaluated the 10 top ballerinas still dancing today! Thank you!

obrazova, tereskhina, olesya, sadaise, lunkhina de best too.

Maravillosa

I really love Zakharova and Murphy. But I think Zakharova is too good. It seems like she alsways wants to present herself with perfect moves. So you're always concentrated on her moves not on the figure she has to present. Gillian Murphy is not as good as she is but when she's dancing I feel the character she' presenting. I can feel the story. So I think Zakharova is the very best dancer and Murphy the best actor but both are (nearly) perfect to me! But that's only my opinion. Sorry if I done some mistakes I'm a 14 years old German.

For me Alina Cojocaru every time.

Do you know where I can find the video of Marianela Nunez doing the whole variation?

Exactly Alonso is in the top 10 for sure - along with Pavlova, Plisetskaya, Ulanova, Legnani, Guillem and maybe Maria Tallchief. It seems the list has been a few who appear a lot on youtube, followed by a selection dancing now as the top ones. No doubt they will be replaced when a new batch comes along.

She put on the list based on her opinion , what she likes more not the top dancers in the world. so stop judging everything and enjoy the video .Thanks for the video.

Sencilles, esplenderoso y mejestuoso!

Well...seeing as everyone is scrapping over greatest love for ballerina!!! How dare anyone miss Natalia Makharova...cos no one touches her...although young Olga Smirnova is the beginning of a miraculous new breed! FACT!!!!.

Мне показалось что Светлана Захарова самая яркая выразительная и технически очень сильная Безупречная

BRAVO MARIE !

#1 Svetlana Zakharova #2 Sylvie Guillem

my favority ballerina is evgenia obrazsova

Svetlana all the way. She is untouchable.

All of the ten ballerinas are wonderful dancers... But I was surprised by two facts: How different the style of dancing can be and that Margot Fonteyn really didn't have very well arched feet for a professional... But she is still fascinating!

Ballerinas are painfully beautiful. They are that size because of the dancing they do.

Zakharova e Osipova numbers one !!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Haha my one and only idol is Anna Pavlova. I love her so much.

Svetlana's my favorite too :o

Thank you again! I also see and loved your comment on making 50 next time. I also see now that you could have over 100! You did, however, choose the best 10 ballerinas of today, who are still dancing, and I am going to look at your site some more as it is great! WilesWales

Sylvie Guillem was not included here. She was more astonishing than all of these dancers. I still find her unmatched!

love the video. Sveta is definitely my No.1 too!! Sylvie Guillem could have been among the top 10, though. :-)

and Ekaterina Maksimova

I agree with 2) Osipova and 3) Vishneva... But where is "the Unicorn of Ballet" = ULYANA LOPATKINA???? I know why you didn't include her.... she is more than a ballerina, she is an Eternal Goddess. BEST EVER FOR ME!

My favorite Is Marianela Núñez and Margot fonteyn

Mine is Olesya Novikova

Muy buen video :)

I like your list of dancers Here are my favorite: ( in no particular order) Natalia Osipova Sylvia Guillmen Svetlana Zakharova Alina Somova Gillian Murphy Victoria Tereshkina Olesya Novikova Maya Plisetskaya Uliana Lopatkina Leonid Sarafanov

I agree - Zakharova is my number 1 too!!!

Très bon choix pour le classement

Gillian's fouettes (idk how to spell it) are amazing

@MrRight1000 thanks:) merry christmas!!

my favorite is svetlana,too :-D

she is good but svetlana zakharova always deserves to be the 1st she is just perfect (for me)!!:))

omg yes! I was thinking about it..how could i forget aurelie,lopatkina and sylvie guillem?

i love dance

Svetlana

There are many great ballerinas who aren't in this video.. for example my favourites are sarah lamb, christiana bennett, beckanne sisk, leticia stock and claudia dean..