PHILADELPHIA — A 5-foot-11 dancer who performed as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Pennsylvania Ballet's Nutcracker this season says she's being dropped from the company because she's too tall.
Sara Michelle Murawski says her one-year contract won't be renewed in May. The Philadelphia Inquirer says the 25-year-old is a few inches taller when dancing on pointe. Many of her female peers are about 5-foot-6.
Ballet officials say artistic director Angel (AHN'-hel) Corella needs to put together a cohesive group for next season just as a sports team mixes up its roster each year.
Executive Director David Gray says the decisions are being announced early to give dancers time to audition for other companies for jobs next season.
Murawski is a Norfolk, Virginia, native who trained in Philadelphia and Slovakia.
