Jenifer Ringer joined the New York City Ballet in 1990, became a principal dancer in 2000, and retired from performing in 2014.
17 Facts About Jenifer Ringer
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Jenifer Ringer then became the director of the Colburn School's professional dance program, Colburn Dance Academy.
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Jenifer Ringer was named Dean of the Colburn's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute in 2017, before stepping down in 2021.
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Jenifer Ringer was raised in Summerville, South Carolina, as an Evangelical Christian.
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Jenifer Ringer tried ballet at a young age but was uninterested, but when she attended another class at age 10, she decided to continue.
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Jenifer Ringer's family relocated to West Springfield, Virginia when she was 12, and she started pre-professional training at the Washington School of Ballet.
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In 1987, the school's founder, Mary Day, handpicked Jenifer Ringer to perform Balanchine's Serenade with The Washington Ballet, and Jenifer Ringer later said that performance led her to pursue a career in dance.
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Jenifer Ringer attended a summer intensive at the School of American Ballet, then stayed as a full-time student on scholarship.
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Jenifer Ringer became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet in October 1989, then joined the corps de ballet the following year.
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Jenifer Ringer recalled Peter Martins told her to "stop eating cheesecake," and by 1997 she was 40 pounds heavier than most dancers.
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Jenifer Ringer became involved with her faith, Protestant Christianity, from which she had disconnected herself in her teens, and attended Overeaters Anonymous, both of which she credited with helping her comeback.
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Jenifer Ringer performed lead roles in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and created roles for choreographers including Twyla Tharp, Helgi Tomasson, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon.
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Jenifer Ringer was immediately defended by ballet bloggers and on online boards, and the controversy led to her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show.
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In October 2013, the New York City Ballet announced that Jenifer Ringer would retire in February the following year.
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In February 2021, it was announced that Jenifer Ringer would stepped down from the Colburn School in July, and return to her home state of South Carolina, but intend to return to teach frequently.
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Jenifer Ringer was succeeded by former New York City Ballet dancer Silas Farley.
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In 2000, Jenifer Ringer married James Fayette, a New York City Ballet dancer.