Two years ago, when Guenther was working her way into the Boston Ballet’s main company, an assistant artistic director advised her to lose five pounds. She did, and the company promoted her. But Guenther continued to lose weight. Eating problems are common among professional ballet dancers. ““Some go through years of starving and laxatives and diuretics,’’ says Dance magazine columnist Linda Hamilton. Still, anorec-tics typically grow weak and lethargic, and acquaintances say Guenther was always strong and exuberant. Though she was thin, being 15 pounds underweight is rarely life-threatening. The cause of Guenther’s death is still under investigation, but it may remain a tragic mystery.
