Years ago I was having dinner with a friend and a friend of hers, who was a member of the Joffrey Ballet.  I asked this young woman, how is was that she became a professional ballerina?  Her answer still sticks with me.  She said that she started at six taking ballet classes, like every other young girl.  The difference is, she never stopped.

What stuck with me is the idea, and we see it in so many endeavors, that at six or seven, we already embody the passions that will guide us, the rest of our lives.  

Jenifer Ringer knew at the age of ten that her destiny was the Ballet.  At twelve, she entered the Washington School of Ballet in DC.  At fourteen, she entered the School of American Ballet in New York and became a member of the NYC ballet at sixteen.  

After a long and complex career, she rose to become the principal dancer of the NYC ballet and recently retired from that company. She tells her story of grit, determination and cultural images and her expectations in Dancing Through It: My Journey in the Ballet.

My conversation with Jenifer Ringer: