Megan Low, Amanda Schull to retire after 2006 rep. season

[Dale]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2006

SF BALLET DANCERS MEGAN LOW AND AMANDA SCHULL TO RETIRE FOLLOWING 2006 REPERTORY SEASON

SAN FRANCISCO--Wednesday, April 12, 2006-San Francisco Ballet has announced that Corps de Ballet members Megan Low and Amanda Schull will retire this summer, following the end of the 2006 Repertory Season.

A Bay Area native, Low trained at Ballet Capriole, San Jose Dance Theatre and San Francisco Ballet School prior to joining the Company in 1997. Over the course of her nine-year career with SF Ballet, Low has performed a diverse array of works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli, Paul Taylor, Helgi Tomasson, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon. In addition, Low performed the lead in Mark Morris’ Sylvia in 2004, a role she will reprise on Program 7 of the 2006 Repertory season. Low plans to attend UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education as part of the Multicultural Urban Secondary English (MUSE) program.

Schull trained at Hawaii State Ballet before being named apprentice in 1999. In 2000, she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. During her seven-year career with the Company, Schull has performed in a variety of works, ranging from classical full-length ballets to more contemporary works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Alexei Ratmansky, Paul Taylor, and Christopher Wheeldon. Schull also starred in the feature film Center Stage, directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Low and Schull will perform on Programs 7 and 8 of the 2006 Repertory Season, running April 21 to May 7. For more information on casting, visit www.sfballet.org/performances/casting.aspx. A complete Company update, including promotions will be announced in July.

[BalletNut]

Thank you for posting this, Dale. I've always liked both of these dancers, and was hoping this release would be about them being promoted, instead of retiring.

Best of luck to both of them, though, and I'm grateful for the times I've been able to see them dance.

[Helene]

This is sad news for audience, and I hope happy news for the dancers as they go to the next phase of their lives.

I'm glad both of them got greater recognition than many great corps members get: Schull in Center Stage and Low, by being chosen by Mark Morris as the lead -- one of only four dancers so chosen -- in his Sylvia.

[balletdad]

I wonder where Amanda is going?

The SF Chronicle reported last week that Peter Brandenhoff is also leaving the Company.

"Add Peter Brandenhoff to the list of major names on the San Francisco Ballet roster who will be leaving the company this year. Stephen Legate previously announced his retirement and a couple of others are in the wings, I hear.

The Danish-born Brandenhoff has had a 13-year career with the Ballet, bridging a year with the Hamburg Ballet. He plans to remain in the Bay Area as a dancer and pursue other artistic endeavors. "

here is the link to the Chronicle story:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...d&sn=002&sc=994

[socalgal]

Yes, I would be interested in an official announcement regarding all of those that are 'moving on' at the end of the season.

[balletdad]

You can add Yuri Possokov to the list of Company members leaving after this season, though he is staying through the New York performances. Here is the link to the Company" press release. Again, no mention of his future plans or any continuing affiliation with SFB as a choreographer.

http://www.sfballet.org/news/detail.aspx?id=32

[BalletNut]

Thank you for the link, balletdad.

FYI, the press release also contains information about Legate and Brandenhoff, as well as alluding to a subscribers-only event honoring the three, to be held on May 5.

[Helene]

From yesterday's links, a very nice tribute to Possokhov. An excerpt:

On the surface, Possokhov is the embodiment of the Bolshoi technique: big physical presence, hovering leaps and stage-devouring drama. Yet, despite that physical presence, Possokhov has also shown himself skilled at creating tiny moments of heartbreaking simplicity, as well as great humor.

[BalletNut]

Here is the casting for the "farewell performance."

Farewell Performance Evening

Friday, May 05, 2006 8pm

IN THE NIGHT

VISELLI, LEGATE

MAFFRE, SMITH

FEIJOO, POSSOKHOV

Intermission

REVELATION

POSSOKHOV

SOLO

BRANDENHOFF, LEGATE, MOLAT

R&J BALCONY PAS DE DEUX

Conductor: Martin West

TAN, POSSOKHOV

MY FUNNY VALENTINE

Piano: McGraw

LeBLANC, LEGATE

"SUMMER" from QUATERNARY

McGraw MAFFRE, POSSOKHOV

10 min

[balletdad]

The mystery of Yuri's future is solved. He will be resident choreographer with SFB.

http://www.sfballet.org/news/detail.aspx?id=34

[Helene]

Thank you, balletdad!

That's great news. I'm glad he's staying on the West Coast. From an article in Links last year which described an art-buying adventure that included queuing up and living in a tent until the sale opened, he and Christopher Stowell are friends from their SFB days, and hopefully, Possokhov will continue to choreograph for Stowell at OBT.

[Paul Parish]

Just got in from Megan Low's last Sylvia -- I'm writing about this for Ballet Review, so I can't say much, but what a wonderful day in the theater. Ms Low ended her career in the best possible way, dancing and acting at full tilt, supported wonderfully by the company, who relaxed into the occasion and gave it up for her. They put the ballet over with a lot of style and wit.

The audience was also totally with her, greeting her first entrance with applause. Her fellow Amazons were alive to each other and danced together with great attention to each other. Damian Smith was fantastically complex and poignant as the oaf who abducts her -- it was a case of "What part of 'No' don't you understand?" And Guennadi Nedviguine danced Aminta with incredible feeling, within a fabulously pure classical way of moving -- he looked at times like Carlo Blasis, the imagery was so distinct, single, double, triple step-up turns in attitude that dive into renverses stand out most clearly in memory as ways of declaring "I am in love with Sylvia."

The bows were fantastic: The company were all applauding her, Helgi came out with a huge bouquet and kissed her, Guennadi ran offstage and returned with a bouquet the size of a bathtub, Mark Morris (who was in the audience) then ran onto the stage in humble posture bowing as he ran and gave her what looked like a fan.... And in the lobby afterwards the Low clan were gathered in large numbers, including the important SF modern dancer Sue Li-Jue, her cousin, looking very very happy and proud and taking pictures of each other singly and en masse.

[Helene]

It's a really good thing that there isn't an animated weeping icon, because I'd use up all of the board's bandwidth to respond to your description of Low's farewell performance.

Morris must have flown in this morning from Seattle, because he took his bows with MMDG last night at about 10pm. I'm glad he was there to pay tribute to a dancer who did his Sylvia and Sylvia proud.

[Chimene]

I would really love some information on the whereabouts of Ms. Amanda Schull these days since her retirement that is. I have been to see the SF ballet but it was like a year before her time. I also plan on seeing Ethan Stiefel (live not on DVD) before he retires so hopefully he will be back in commision for ABT 2006-07 season. I've been stuck on a lonely island in the Netherlands-Antilles attending medical school for almost 2 years so planning has been hard to do. I can be emailed at shegum300@yahoo.com for answers. Thanks, CG.