Check the New york Times Review here
OOOOOh this made me hot enough to crack a nut in my fist!! First let me say that I have never cared greatly for Mr. Macaulay or his critique, but I’ll leave that by the way side for a moment. Who does he think he is to make such unnecessary and pointedly mean spirited and dare I say (Oh what the hell he went there so why don’t I, I’ll stoop or shall I say Grande Plie to his level!) queeny comments like this? I’m sure sitting alone in his flat it read quite wittily – but I am here to say that you are no Dorothy Parker! leave savvy witticisms those who are both savvy and witty in my opinion you fall short on both counts. What makes me more protective of Ms. Ringer is the fact that she has been so open about her body issues, and disordered eating, and the idea that she was brave enough to come back to the stage (with the support of her husband) and this jerk says something so hateful. As if the image of the Ballerina was not damaging enough…
Talk about the dance! you can not like the dancing the choreography, staging, costumes lighting but leave the people alone.
I find it interesting that it’s almost always the people who have never performed that are hateful in such ways, for it is clear that they know nothing of what it takes to be an artist; to have the strength of ones vulnerability, to expose oneself that way. To lay oneself bare to be judged. Studying the history of art is noble and worthy but where it brings you nearer to the art you do not – can not enter it. If one could then folks like Mr. Macaulay would wield their pens with more thought when it came to matters that are of a more personal nature such as weight, or lack of pulchritude- which may in many ways affect your attraction towards an artist, but has little nothing to do with the art form they are taking part in. With a little willing suspension of disbelief goes a long way!
It is sad. So Sad. It angers me. This is why I created this space to try to help undo what people and their words and their small thoughts and exclusionary concepts do to those who just want to participate and be a part. I find it disheartening…
Ms. Ringer- you are beautiful you always have been a wonderful artist and have a passion for dance that you have sent out over the footlights, please don’t let one careless penned person rob you of that- for it is your gift, that we, the audience await and adore.
And that’s the T’Ruth!
T. You are the bomb!!!! I am reading this and feel myself welling up from frustration that this is STILL an issue and that yes indeed those who particularly are ignorant to what it takes to even GET up on the stage during and after having body dismorphia, etc. can be so cold and hurtful.
Thank you for your safe haven and I too agree that Ms. Ringer is gorgeous to watch on any stage.
I say we jump his punk ass!! Sorry, I’ll be civil. Mr. Macaulay has always been a hurtful queen…did I say I was going to be civil? I lied. T’ruth thank you for posting this. Does Mr. Macaulay even know about the aesthetic he’s assigned to write about? Better yet does he know about the wide range within the aesthetic? At least I can say one thing about him…he’s consistent…consistently awful.
Personally, as a ballet dancer myself who has struggled with numerous eating issues, I was disgusted by his insensitive remark. Though I believe reviews should be strictly dancing focused (I mean, let’s get real: If she’s that big, she is hearing about it from her Artistic Director and teachers), even if he wanted to say it for some sick reason, there were other ways of saying a similar thing without being so classless.
People have been saying that he just did his job, because ballerinas “don’t come in different sizes.” Have they ever heard of Misty Copeland? She’s got big boobs for a ballerina, as does Polina Semionova. Sara Michelle Murawski? She is “stereotypically” WAY too tall by traditional ballerina standards. Margot Fonteyn was not made like a ballet dancer in any sense. Misha himself was unusually short for a male dancer. To say dancers don’t come in different sizes is not only ridiculous, it’s incorrect. They are, after all, humans at the end of the day. Humans aren’t made the same. Even if you have the same training and diet, your body could adapt and look differently than someone else’s, because YOU ARE DIFFERENT. Ballet dancers are not cookie-cutter plastic figures, or shouldn’t be. Individuality in performance and movement are two things that make this art so impressive.
I actually wrote about this from a dancer’s perspective on my blog: http://gettingthere.squarespace.com/ It’s a little more intense than what I’ve written here, and I’d love to get some responses to it! Please read and comment, because an issue like this deserves to be noticed!
Macauley’s arrogance and superficiality here are remarkable.
Even a dancer who has not had dismorphia may feel exposed and vulnerable on stage. Yes, you are right Ringer is a brave and noble artist and Macauley’s remarks were cowardly and base.
I can’t believe someone would even think of saying something like that, especially when ballerinas are already under enough pressure about their bodies as it is! I know there are always going to be critics out there, but keep the opinions about the dancing. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but I don’t think an opinion should be voiced if it is going to hurt someone emotionally. Dancers work so hard for their art form and they should be appreciated, not judged. Thank you so much for bringing this issue to light.
The article should be about the dance not critcize the dancers for their… WEIGHT?!?! To be in NYCB, I am pretty sure one must be fit. She has had a kid and has been performing since 16 with weight issues of her own. I think she looks damn good. He should leave her and the others alone because the comment was unecessary for the dance critique.
This is such a crude thing to say to a dancer. All artists and dancers are had on themselves in the first place. And dancers are even more articulate about their body image as the aesthetic. Alastair could have said anything about the technique, artistry, music, timing, etc…but not her body image in such a manner.
This is absolutely disgusting. It’s comments like that cause people to have eating disorders. As much as ballerinas are pressured every single day about their body, the last thing they need is to have negative comments about the topic publicized.
I don’t understand how one could be writing a dance critique and comment on weight. It is one issue when the artistry is lacking because one is not in shape. In this case however, that is not at all true. I second your comment. Ms. Rigger- is a beautiful dancer and I would give anything to have the elegance she does in ballet. We all get good and bad reviews of our work, this was more along the lines of a personal attack! I am just not a fan of Mr. Macaulay
How come no one mentions what a fat pig Alistair is? He is certainly not one to talk.