Performing in <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Tribute rehearsals
       
     
Rehearsing for <i>Legend</i>
       
     
At the Izzies with the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team
       
     
With the original Menlowe Ballet Company for <i>Debut</i>
       
     
At the Neiman Marcus <i>Love to Give</i> event with Company dancers
       
     
With the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team
       
     
Performing in <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
With guest choreographer Dennis Nahat, Lisa Shiveley and Michael Lowe
       
     
With Michael Lowe and Guest Choreographer Gregory Dawson
       
     
Leading rehearsal with student dancers
       
     
With guest choreographer Betsy Erickson and Michael Lowe
       
     
 Michael Lowe's  Tribute  Photo: Alejandro Gomez
       
     
 Michael Lowe's  Chuntian  Photo:&nbsp;Amitava Sarkar  
       
     
 Michael Lowe's  Legend of the Seven Suns  Photo:&nbsp;David Allan Sheetz  
       
     
 Dennis Nahat's  Pas de Cinq  Photo: John Gerbetz  
       
     
 Michael Lowe's  It's a Wonderful Nutcracker  Photo: Eric Raeber
       
     
 Michael Lowe’s  Transcendence &nbsp; Photo: John Gerbetz  
       
     
 Michael Lowe’s  Plague  Photo: John Gerbetz
       
     
Bru's Sweet
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
It's a Wonderful Nutcracker
       
     
"So why not try a mashup with Frank Capra’s sentimental 1946 holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life”? That’s the idea behind 'It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker.'”
       
     
"Sparkling wine's not a bad metaphor for 'Bru's Sweet,' a playful, sexy dance that features plenty of bubbly fun, yet tempers the froth with passages of dry wit and melancholy."
       
     
"Legend blends elements of both Eastern and Western dance traditions. The score for the production is an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary Mongolian songs with other musical arrangements."
       
     
"Menlowe Ballet continues its tradition of tapping into the star talent of the Bay Area ballet world with the choice of Dennis Nahat as guest choreographer for its April production, 'Transcendence.'"
       
     
"The music draws on his Chinese heritage. And 'the movement has some of the folk Chinese steps infused with my voice and, from being in Oakland Ballet so many years, that sense of theatricality.'"
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2016 Spring Season, <i>Collage</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2015 Winter Season <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2015 Spring Season, <i>Rapture</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Fall Season, <i>Legend</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Spring Season, <i>Transcendence</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2013 Fall Season, <i>Lineage</i>
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
Floraison
       
     
       
     
Performing in <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Performing in It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Michael Lowe performs with Terrin Kelly in It's a Wonderful Nutcracker. Photo: Austin Forbord

Tribute rehearsals
       
     
Tribute rehearsals

Michael Lowe at Tribute rehearsals. Photo: David Allan Sheetz

Rehearsing for <i>Legend</i>
       
     
Rehearsing for Legend

Michael Lowe prepares for Legend. Photo: Eric Raeber

At the Izzies with the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team
       
     
At the Izzies with the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team

Lisa Shiveley, Michael Lowe, Julie Lowe and Sarah-Jane Measor celebrate at the Isadora Duncan Awards.

With the original Menlowe Ballet Company for <i>Debut</i>
       
     
With the original Menlowe Ballet Company for Debut

Lisa Shiveley, Executive Director of Menlowe Ballet poses with the original Company for Debut.

At the Neiman Marcus <i>Love to Give</i> event with Company dancers
       
     
At the Neiman Marcus Love to Give event with Company dancers

Lisa Shiveley celebrates the season of giving along with Terrin McGee-Kelly, Demetria Schioldager, and Julie Giordano.

With the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team
       
     
With the Menlowe Ballet Leadership Team

Julie Lowe, Lisa Shiveley, Michael Lowe and Sarah-Jane Measor work together to bring Menlowe Ballet to the Bay Area community.

Performing in <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Performing in It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Associate Artistic Director Sarah-Jane Measor performs in It's a Wonderful Nutcracker along with student dancers from her studio, Menlo Park Academy of Dance. Photo: Austin Forbord

With guest choreographer Dennis Nahat, Lisa Shiveley and Michael Lowe
       
     
With guest choreographer Dennis Nahat, Lisa Shiveley and Michael Lowe

Michael Lowe, Julie Lowe, Lisa Shiveley and guest choreographer Dennis Nahat in the rehearsal studio.

With Michael Lowe and Guest Choreographer Gregory Dawson
       
     
With Michael Lowe and Guest Choreographer Gregory Dawson

Gregory Dawson and Michael Lowe both contributed world premiere choreography for the Spring 2016 Season, Collage.

Leading rehearsal with student dancers
       
     
Leading rehearsal with student dancers

Ballet Master Julie Lowe leading Legend of the Seven Suns rehearsal with student dancers from the Menlo Park Academy of Dance.

With guest choreographer Betsy Erickson and Michael Lowe
       
     
With guest choreographer Betsy Erickson and Michael Lowe

Michael Lowe, Betsy Erickson and Julie Lowe on a break from rehearsals.

 Michael Lowe's  Tribute  Photo: Alejandro Gomez
       
     

Michael Lowe's Tribute
Photo: Alejandro Gomez

 Michael Lowe's  Chuntian  Photo:&nbsp;Amitava Sarkar  
       
     

Michael Lowe's Chuntian
Photo: Amitava Sarkar
 

 Michael Lowe's  Legend of the Seven Suns  Photo:&nbsp;David Allan Sheetz  
       
     

Michael Lowe's Legend of the Seven Suns
Photo: David Allan Sheetz
 

 Dennis Nahat's  Pas de Cinq  Photo: John Gerbetz  
       
     

Dennis Nahat's Pas de Cinq
Photo: John Gerbetz
 

 Michael Lowe's  It's a Wonderful Nutcracker  Photo: Eric Raeber
       
     

Michael Lowe's It's a Wonderful Nutcracker
Photo: Eric Raeber

 Michael Lowe’s  Transcendence &nbsp; Photo: John Gerbetz  
       
     

Michael Lowe’s Transcendence 
Photo: John Gerbetz
 

 Michael Lowe’s  Plague  Photo: John Gerbetz
       
     

Michael Lowe’s Plague
Photo: John Gerbetz

Bru's Sweet
       
     
Bru's Sweet

Reginald Ray-Savage's Bru’s Sweet
Photo: Alejandro Gomez

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Carolers
Photo: Eric Raeber
 

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Family Scene
Photo: Austin Forbord
 

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Family Scene
Photo: David Allan Sheetz

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — Michael Lowe's It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Chimney Sweeps
Photo: Austin Forbord

 

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Toy Nutcrackers and Battle Mice
Photo: Austin Forbord
 

Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet Student Audition — It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

Little Angels
Photo: Austin Forbord
 

It's a Wonderful Nutcracker
       
     
It's a Wonderful Nutcracker
"So why not try a mashup with Frank Capra’s sentimental 1946 holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life”? That’s the idea behind 'It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker.'”
       
     
"So why not try a mashup with Frank Capra’s sentimental 1946 holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life”? That’s the idea behind 'It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker.'”
"Sparkling wine's not a bad metaphor for 'Bru's Sweet,' a playful, sexy dance that features plenty of bubbly fun, yet tempers the froth with passages of dry wit and melancholy."
       
     
"Sparkling wine's not a bad metaphor for 'Bru's Sweet,' a playful, sexy dance that features plenty of bubbly fun, yet tempers the froth with passages of dry wit and melancholy."
"Legend blends elements of both Eastern and Western dance traditions. The score for the production is an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary Mongolian songs with other musical arrangements."
       
     
"Legend blends elements of both Eastern and Western dance traditions. The score for the production is an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary Mongolian songs with other musical arrangements."
"Menlowe Ballet continues its tradition of tapping into the star talent of the Bay Area ballet world with the choice of Dennis Nahat as guest choreographer for its April production, 'Transcendence.'"
       
     
"Menlowe Ballet continues its tradition of tapping into the star talent of the Bay Area ballet world with the choice of Dennis Nahat as guest choreographer for its April production, 'Transcendence.'"
"The music draws on his Chinese heritage. And 'the movement has some of the folk Chinese steps infused with my voice and, from being in Oakland Ballet so many years, that sense of theatricality.'"
       
     
"The music draws on his Chinese heritage. And 'the movement has some of the folk Chinese steps infused with my voice and, from being in Oakland Ballet so many years, that sense of theatricality.'"
Menlowe Ballet 2016 Spring Season, <i>Collage</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2016 Spring Season, Collage

2016 Spring Season
Collage
(coming soon)
 

Menlowe Ballet 2015 Winter Season <i>It's a Wonderful Nutcracker</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2015 Winter Season It's a Wonderful Nutcracker

2015 Winter Season
It's a Wonderful Nutcracker
 

Menlowe Ballet 2015 Spring Season, <i>Rapture</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2015 Spring Season, Rapture
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Fall Season, <i>Legend</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Fall Season, Legend
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Spring Season, <i>Transcendence</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2014 Spring Season, Transcendence

2014 Spring Season
Transcendence

Menlowe Ballet 2013 Fall Season, <i>Lineage</i>
       
     
Menlowe Ballet 2013 Fall Season, Lineage
       
     
ILLUME, 2018 Spring Season
       
     
Floraison, 2017 Spring Season

Floraison celebrated artistry unfolding within our ranks with a world premiere by Michael Lowe & Sarah-Jane Measor to the music of Philip Glass, a new contemporary work by company dancers Stefanie Maughan and Ali McKeon, spirited performances by aspiring young dancers, and the return of Ms. Measor’s powerfully poignant Portraits.

       
     
Tribute, 2016 Fall Season

Tribute celebrated world premieres, a classical jewel and a signature company work. 

in this world premiere performance of After Hours, Michael Lowe weaves a mysterious tale of romance and comedy as the colorful waitstaff of a stylish Shanghai nightclub ring in the New Year

Portraits honors the spirit and accomplishments of women from history who have touched the world with courage and creativity. Portraits marks the professional choreographic debut of Associate Artistic Director Sarah-Jane Measor. 

Dance icon Dennis Nahat returns to Menlowe Ballet with his staging of the rapturous classical Le Corsaire Pas de Deux with this Company premiere.

With unique conception and dazzling execution, Lowe's Tribute captures the company's spirited dancing and the electrifying pulse of Ravel's Bolero.

       
     
Collage, 2016 Spring Season

Collage brought together three remarkable choreographers to create three distinct new works — premieres by Val Caniparoli of San Francisco Ballet, Gregory Dawson of dawsondancesf, and Menlowe Ballet's own Artistic Director, Michael Lowe.

As a leading dancer and choreographer with San Francisco Ballet, Val Caniparoli's versatility has made him one of the most sought after choreographers in the world. He set his new work for Menlowe Ballet to the stunning Baroque music of Johann Paul Westhoff.

In terms of raw energy and visceral movement, there is no choreographer quite like Gregory Dawson. Founder and Artistic Director of dawsondancesf, Gregory paired daring physicality of movement with an original score, that left audiences perched on the edge of their seats.

Our own Artistic Director, Michael Lowe, brought poignancy, humor, and his unique cultural touch to Jin Ji (Beautiful Little Things). In a series of vignettes, Lowe's ballet journeyed through the haunting melody of a unique musical instrument, a young man's encounter with his own imagination, and the qualities of elements found in nature.

       
     
Rapture, 2015 Spring Season

Rapture featured excerpts from Michael Lowe's Playing Love, the return of Legend of the Seven Suns, and Guest Choreographer Reginald Ray-Savage's, Bru's Sweet

Lowe's, Playing Love, is an alluring, romantic neo-classical work that explores human relationships and the facets of love. For Legend of the Seven Suns Lowe travelled to Mongolia to research his retelling of a traditional folktale featuring gods, mortals, and a menagerie of engaging animals set against the backdrop of Mongolia’s vast, rugged landscape.  

Savage created Bru’s Sweet for Menlowe Ballet with "the intention of celebrating all that is jazz. The work is sensual, classy, sweet, sexy and sweaty, and Menlowe’s dancers are incredible. They dance the ballet with passion, energy and technique that is quite thrilling.” 

       
     
Legend, 2014 Fall Season

Legend features contemporary, classical and cultural ballets including Artistic Director Michael Lowe’s Plague and the world premier of Legend of the Seven Suns.

Inspired by a Mongolian folktale, characters in Legend of the Seven Suns include gods, mortals, a menagerie of engaging animals, and Mongolia’s vast, rugged landscape. Says Lowe, “Mongolia has a rich heritage of tales related to humans and their relationship to the natural world. These stories gave me the fuel I needed to tell a great fable through dance.” 

Guest Choreographer Dennis Nahat’s In Concert is a pastiche of classical divertissements celebrating French, Russian, Italian and American styles of ballet set to the music of Guiseppe Verdi and Charles Gounod.  

       
     
Transcendence, 2014 Spring Season

Menlowe Ballet's 2014 Spring Season includes the premiere of Michael Lowe's Transcendence, the return of Tribute, and Guest Choreographer Dennis Nahat's Pas de Cinq.

With Transcendence, Lowe sought to explore "tragic human weakness and its consequences, contrasting it with that which calls upon us to transcend our human failings and limitations.” 

Pas de Cinq is excerpted from Nahat's full-length Swan Lake that he created in the 1980's. In his version, the Queen has just introduced four Princesses to her son, Prince Siegfried, at a party celebrating his coming of age, and it is expected that afterwards, he will choose one as his bride.

       
     
Lineage, 2013 Fall Season

Lineage features Artistic Director Michael Lowe's Serei and Tribute, and Guest Choreographer Ronn Guidi's Trois Gymnopédies and Romeo and Juliet Pas de Deux, ballets representing both ends of his choreographic spectrum.

From the late 1970s through the ‘90s, Ronn Guidi’s Oakland Ballet rose to prominence for its meticulously and lovingly-crafted reconstructions of rare Ballet Russes masterpieces and Americana classics. Lowe participated in each re-creation, dancing leading roles in many. Says Lowe, “Our season, Lineage, reflects my fascination with the tradition of passing dance down one generation to the next — artist to artist.” 

Tribute, a world premiere honors Lowe’s participation in two seminal productions of Ravel’s Bolero. First in 1974, as an original cast member in Marc Wilde’s Bolero, and again in 1995 when Oakland staged Bronislava Nijinska’s 1928 version. In Tribute, Lowe references both works, weaving in his own choreographic voice, and exploring Ravel’s original musical intentions. 

       
     
Reverie, 2013 Spring Season

Reverie features Sweet Sadness by Guest Choreographer Viktor Kabaniaev along with Chuntian and Surfside, both choreographed by Menlowe Ballet Artistic Director Michael Lowe.

For Menlowe Ballet, Kabaniaev set Sweet Sadness to the music of Jean Sebalius. "Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor evokes in me a looking back to experiences from my years living in Russia and Germany. Sweet Sadness is an abstract expression of memories that live within me as pictures from the past."

Lowe's cultural jewel, Chuntian, evokes a Chinese watercolor painting come to life, while Surfside, pays homage to vintage surf music and includes a live musical performance by Paul Stinson and Jason Fessel of The Radishes.

       
     
Highlights from Menlowe Ballet's 2017 "It's a Wonderful Nutcracker"
       
     
It's A Wonderful Nutcracker, 2015 Winter Season
Floraison
       
     
Floraison

FLORAISON celebrates artistry unfolding within our ranks with a world premiere by Michael Lowe & Sarah-Jane Measor to the music of Philip Glass, a new contemporary work by company dancers Stefanie Maughan and Ali McKeon, spirited performances by aspiring young dancers, and the return of Ms. Measor’s powerfully poignant Portraits.

       
     
Excerpts from Menlowe Ballet’s 2018 production of It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker