Jennifer Tinsley Williams
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jennifer began her ballet training at the age of six. It wasn’t long before was in love with dancing and knew that she would pursue it as her career.
After being accepted into the prestigious School of American Ballet’s audition-only summer program at the age of 13, Jennifer set her sights on one company alone: The New York City Ballet. After being accepted to study at SAB full-time, Jennifer left her family to move to New York City at the age of 17. Her dream became a reality when she was invited to join the New York City Ballet in the summer of 1990 at the age of 19.
After 9 years in the corps de ballet, dancing numerous ballets by founding choreographers George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and current Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, Jennifer was honored to receive a promotion to the rank of soloist in 1999.
Jennifer toured the world with the company and also as a guest artist. She was especially thrilled to perform the role of Sugarplum Fairy as a guest artist in local productions in her two home states, Texas and New York. Jennifer took her final bow with New York City Ballet on July 26, 2008, performing a principal role in George Balanchine’s Western Symphony in NYCB’s summer performing home, Saratoga Springs, NY. It was a joyous end to a long and fulfilling career.
After years of guest mentoring young people and being a positive role model, she is especially excited about passing on her knowledge of the Balanchine technique and encouraging dancers of all ages to express the joy of the dance that comes from the heart.