Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Ballerina To Critic: "I'm Not Overweight"
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 14, 2010
Modified Dec 14, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 14, 2010
Modified Dec 14, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
At the end of a November NY Times review, critic Alastair Macaulay wrote that ballerina Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, "looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many." The 37-year-old Ringer, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, is now speaking out about the criticism.
Yesterday the formerly anorexic Ringer (who hasn't seen Black Swan yet!) declared on national television: "I'm not overweight!" She told Ann Curry on the Today show that the critic's comment made her "feel bad. I really had to tell myself that's one person's opinion out of 2,000 people who were there that night."
According to Jezebel, the critic "tried to explain why he would make such a comment: the body matters to ballet, an overweight body inhibits performance, etc. What he failed to do was explain how the ballerina, one Jenifer Ringer (who absolutely is not overweight), performed in a manner that suggested she was off her game and how that might be because of her weight." Macauley also noted in a follow-up to his original piece, "If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism, do not choose ballet as a career."
During her television appearance yesterday Ringer said, "As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form. I do have a more womanly body type than the stereotypical ballerina." She added, "If you're too thin, really, you can't do the job."
Tagged
Alastair Macaulay
ballerina
ballet
critic
nutcracker
nyc ballet
weight
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .