The Big Event

Degas, Edgar "La Classe de Danse" 1871-1874 via Wikipedia. Public Domain.

Below is a quick summary of how my specific controversy came to be.  Although, the issue has been present for many years, this even helped bring it to the forefront even more.

What Went Down

The issue of physical appearance, in particular weight, in ballet has been an issue for many years. As  the influence of Balanchine spread across the world, so did the infatuation with thin streamline bodies with the capability to portray the most clear geometric lines possible.  This trend has stayed with dance up to this day, although is not always talked about in the public eye.  But on November 28, 2010, Alastair Macaulay wrote a New York Times review that ruffled the feathers of dancers and non-dancers alike.  After watching the opening night of New York City Ballet's "The Nutcracker",  Macaulay commented that Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugarplum Fairy, looked to have had one sugarplum too many, and that her partner, Jared Angle, looked to have sampled half of the sweet realm.  Although, some interpreted it different ways,  the majority of people saw it as an attack on the already low weight of the dancers. 

The Response

Many dancers and non-dancers jumped to the defense of the two principal dancers, although most focused on Jenifer Ringer with her past history of eating disorders. Almost any ballet dancer is considered very thin compared to the average non-dancer, so many were completely confused by the rather biting remark in the review.  Their comments and opinions range from pure outrage, to ones who dislike the reporter's opinion, but claim that he might have been referring to an overly sweet performance.  Not only did this bring up the standards of beauty in dance and everyday life, but it also brought to light another important question: what do the critics have the right to criticize, and is the appearance of the body one of them?

After receiving what seems to be numerous hate-mail, Macaulay wrote a follow up article in The Times saying that he fully supports what he previously said.  In it he essentially wrote that dancers choose to display everything on stage, including their bodies, which means that everything is open to criticism.  Despite, the outrage of the general public,  a soft-spoken Jenifer Ringer did a couple interviews in which she made it clear she did not need an apology from Macaulay; however, she refused to agree with the critic and instead expressed her content with her body and her dancing.