Allan Ulrich has died

[sandik]

He was the longest running dance critic in San Francisco, writing for the Chron, and many other publications.

[dirac]

Very sorry to hear this. I read him for many years. There was a man unafraid to form an opinion.

[Quiggin]

I'll miss Ulrich's reviews which seemed strong and just. He knew the music as well as the choreography. His championing of San Francisco Ballet's production of the "Shostakovich Trilogy" helped get it a full, not partial, reprise in the following season. From the initial review in 2014 -

Quote

The music here is Rudolf Barshai's orchestration of Shostakovich's Eighth String Quartet, one of his most intensely personal works; though dour, the mood is occasionally leavened by moments of hysterical jubilation. The content grows more overtly expressive as a forlorn solo man (Davit Karapetyan) mixes with three women (Sasha de Sola, Lorena Feijoo, Mathilde Froustey) who either reject him, expire or drift away.

They may be elements of autobiography or three muses. Ratmansky's treatment of the score is wonderfully subtle; not for him a melodramatic setting of the recurring triplet that would entice lesser choreographers.

 

[pherank]

I was very sorry to learn of Ulrich's passing. He was a good writer, and a well-informed one. His reviews always had a certain weight to them that the other Bay Area arts critics couldn't quite match. The ranks of knowledgeable performance arts writers just keep dwindling...

[pherank]

SF Ballet post to Instagram and Facebook about Ulrich:

From Joshua Kosman’s poignant obituary in @sfgate of arts critic Allan Ulrich, who died on Monday: “In 2001, Ulrich immersed himself in a marathon of San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson’s “Sleeping Beauty,” taking in four different casts over three days; the experience, he wrote, “left even this veteran in a besotted state.” We’ll be thinking of Allan and appreciating his insight, thoughtful opinions, enthusiasm, and dedication to the field this Sunday at Stern Grove when SF Ballet dances a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty. “As a critic and advocate, Allan Ulrich for decades celebrated this company—its dancers, its history, and its productions. His absence will be felt deeply here in San Francisco, both within the Company and the dance community at large.” —Helgi Tomasson

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RLO0AFvia/

“As a critic and advocate, Allan Ulrich for decades celebrated this company—its dancers, its history, and its productions. His absence will be felt deeply here in San Francisco, both within the Company and the dance community at large.” —Helgi Tomasson

[pherank]

Nice tribute to Ulrich by Mathilde Froustey:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ULT_8nnCY/

[Dreamer]

I just learned of this sad news while going through Froustey’s Instagram. RIP, Mr. Ulrich.