Heidi Guenther

Heidi Noelle Guenther[1] (January 11, 1975 – June 30, 1997) was an American ballerina from 1981 to her death in 1997. Guenther died from cardiac arrest which was believed to be caused by her eating disorder.

Biography

Guenther was born in San Francisco.[2] She was raised in Los Osos, and trained at School of the American Ballet and Houston Ballet School during the summer.[3] Guenther earned a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School when she was twelve.[2] She performed throughout high school and in 1994, performed in "Symphony in C" at the Kennedy Center.[4]

She was first told to lose weight by the San Francisco Ballet School.[5] In 1994[6] and in 1995, Artistic director Anna Marie Holmes encouraged Guenther to lose weight,[7] eventually going to 110 pounds. Guenther was promoted to the Boston Ballet in 1994 as an apprentice dancer.[3] A colleague, Kyra Strasberg, called Guenther, "a very, very talented dancer with a gorgeous light jump."[5]

Guenther broke her foot in the first season, as an apprentice.[8] She did not seek medical attention, because she was afraid she would lose her contract. Instead she rested her foot when she wasn't dancing, causing her to gain five pounds.[8] The Boston Ballet did urge her to not lose any more weight in an evaluation given in January 1997.[9] At the time, the company was worried that she may have an eating disorder.[7] She was considered "dangerously thin" by the ballet's records.[4] Holmes however, told Guenther before she left for summer vacation starting in June 1995, that if she didn't lose the five pounds she gained, she would not gain a contract.[8] Guenther wrote a note to herself for that summer vacation, renewing her commitment to lose weight, "They always pick people for parts who are skinny."[10] While the Boston Ballet did counsel her to gain weight, Guenther's mother noticed that the thinner her daughter was, the more dancing roles she was given.[5]

During a family trip to Disneyland, Guenther died on June 30, 1997 of cardiac arrest at the age of 22.[2] Her death was speculated to be caused by her weight loss.[11] She had dropped to 100 pounds,[12] though other sources say she dropped to 93 pounds.[13]

In a later search, a stash of laxatives and herbal diet-aid pills were found in her possession. An autopsy showed no heart deformities[9] and no abnormal substances in her blood. However, her heart wall was found to be abnormally thin.[13] A week before her death, she told her family that her heart was "racing" and "pounding," but she would not seek medical attention.[11]

Her family filed a wrongful death suit in 2000, against the Boston Ballet, for putting excessive pressure on Guenther to lose weight.[8] Holmes was also named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed just before the statute of limitations expired.[10] The suit was later rejected by the courts.[14]

Legacy

Guenther's death "was a wake-up call for everyone," causing ballet companies to treat eating disorders as a "top priority."[15] Immediately after her death, some American ballet companies said they would change their policies or offer extra information about eating disorders.[6] Her death caused the Boston Ballet to begin nutrition counseling.[4] Her family is attempting to start a foundation to help young athletes and dancers in honor of Guenther.

References

  1. ↑ Diesenhouse, Susan (1997-10-12). "DANCE; In a Darwinian World Of Weight Control". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Baker, Ken (4 April 1999). "Heidi Guenther's Short, Tragic Life - And Death". SFGate. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Ballerina's Apparent Heart Attack Reveals Pressures of Dance World". The Daily Gazette. 11 July 1997. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Mehren, Elizabeth; Ybarra, Michael (17 July 1997). "A Dancer's Death Hints at 'a Cult of Secrecy'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Hewitt, Bill (28 July 1997). "Last Dance". People. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Ballet Dancer Who Died Had Been Told to Lose Weight". Sun Journal. 12 July 1997. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 Zernike, Kate (11 July 1997). "Ballet Dancer Told to Lose Weight Dies; Questions Raised". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Pfeiffer, Sacha (6 July 2000). "Family of Dead Dancer Sues Ballet Company". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 "A Ballerina's Tragic Death". Newsweek. 21 July 1997. Retrieved 6 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  10. 1 2 Mac, Daniel (23 September 2000). "Ballet's Weight-Loss Pressure Deadly, Suit States". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  11. 1 2 Dunning, Jennifer (16 July 1997). "Eating Disorders Haunt Ballerinas". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Ballet Dancer Dies Suddenly; Eating Disorder Suspected". Sun Journal. 11 July 1997. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  13. 1 2 Diesenhouse, Susan (12 October 1997). "In a Darwinian World of Weight Control". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Weiss, Joanna (13 March 2001). "Suit Citing Ballet in Dancer's Death is Rejected". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  15. ↑ Tindall, Blair (30 July 2006). "Dancers Learn to Get By on Aspirin, Coffee and Grit". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
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