Moving on: PNB dancers Tobiason, Apple, 5 others are bowing out

They were real-life princesses, beguiling audiences with beauty, radiance and grace. They stepped out of carriages and danced on their toes, smiles as bright as their glittering dresses.

Now, just like the ending to a more modern fairy tale, Pacific Northwest Ballet principals Julie Tobiason and Lisa Apple are leaving the stage, departing the magic world of performance.

Four other PNB dancers are also retiring: soloists Kimberly Davey and Vladislav Bourakov, and corps de ballet members Amy Earnest and Erin Joseph. And soloist Valeri Hristov is leaving to take a position at the Royal Ballet.

Their departures leave the 49-member company with a set of dancing shoes that will be very hard to fill. But the changes also open up new opportunities for PNB and for the dancers who are moving on.

Versatile performer

Tobiason came to PNB from Chicago City Ballet as a 19-year-old in 1986. At the time, PNB co-artistic director Francia Russell recognized her as one of those performers who could dance anything. "She was so spunky and spirited as a young girl; we hired her immediately," Russell recalls.

She became a soloist in 1989 and a principal dancer in 1992. She has danced top roles in Balanchine's "Rubies," "Chaconne," "Ballet Imperial" and "Agon," and Nacho Duato's "Jardi Tancat" and "Rassemblement."

Tobiason's longtime dance partner, Olivier Wevers, says, "Julie's the kind of artist you don't see anymore. She knows how to tell a story on stage. She has comedy, passion and amazing technique. I do not know what I will do without her."

In their last Seattle performance together Saturday, Wevers will play Romeo to Tobiason's Juliet in a farewell pas de deux. The hero's last moment with Juliet is when he tells her goodbye. "I think I'm going to cry then," Wevers says. "I leave her on stage, as Romeo must, but this time, it's real."

Tobiason wonders how she'll make it through the scene. Although she is resolved to leave PNB, due to a back injury and the need for personal growth, the decision has been emotional for her.

"I've accepted the decision to retire intellectually, but emotionally, it's hard to imagine not being here," the petite, long-haired dancer says in a slow, steady voice, her eyes raw and tired. "I still think about showing up again to dance with Olivier from time to time. I just can't believe I'll never be back."

The mother of a 7-year-old, Tobiason plans to remarry this summer, teach in the PNB school and perhaps pursue an undergraduate degree.

A dancing spirit

Apple's retirement in March was also precipitated by an injury. Cartilage problems in her knee had reached the point where her physical health even off-stage was in jeopardy.

"I wanted to leave before I became one of those dancers who can't use their bodies anymore," says Apple, 33.

The blond, blue-eyed dancer performed with the San Francisco Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo before joining PNB as a soloist in 1993. She was promoted to principal in 1998 and will be remembered for many roles, including Tatiana in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as well as Princess Aurora in Ronald Hynd's "Sleeping Beauty."

"Lisa had that kind of floating spirituality, a spirit about her that is ethereal," PNB co-artistic director Kent Stowell recalls. Her dance partner, Christophe Maraval, adds, "She is always offering of herself, always giving in performance. As we say in France, Lisa is a person with her heart in her hand."

Apple plans to become a physical therapist. "There are so many times when you're injured and the heart and the mind are ready to perform again, but the body just can't yet," she says. "Dance can really take a toll on you. I want to help people recover from that."

Leaving home

PNB is a company where some dancers think of the co-directors as a second mom and dad. Leaving is difficult, says retiring soloist Davey, but change can be positive for those on the way out and those on the way up.

Davey will pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology, and hopes to work with kids with attention-deficit disorder, incorporating dance into her practice.

"It's very protective here, very safe, like living in a bubble," Davey says. "They're just wonderful here, but I realize I can do something else. I can use all this discipline and go out and achieve and accomplish something new. It's really time for the youth of the company to shine."

Promotions are coming from within, with Carrie Imler already elevated to principal from soloist, and Astrit Zejnati, Oleg Gorboulev, Casey Herd and Jonathan Porretta promoted from the corps de ballet to soloist.

As he reshapes the company, Stowell explains that dancers are not interchangeable parts: "All our dancers are individuals. ... A dancer is only as good as their uniqueness."

So while it's not possible to actually "replace" a star like Tobiason or Apple, Russell says, "other stars are coming up behind them."

Of course, audience members and fans have their own adjustments to make. On the opening-night performance of PNB's current program, "Song and Dance," staff laid out a book for those attending to write notes to Tobiason.

"You are my favorite dancer, and my daughter's, too," wrote one woman. "We've been coming to see you for 15 years, and will miss you very much."

Above the book, postcards of Tobiason in her favorite roles were available for purchase. A line formed, her well wishers needing to express their gratitude.

Another world awaits them

For Tobiason, Apple and their departing colleagues, the future holds a new set of challenges.

There is no obvious Cathy Rigby-type path for a dancer; retired ballet stars do not find work commenting on the Olympics or dance events. They instead head out into a sea of possibilities, navigating new futures.

"There is so much world out there," says Apple, looking out the window of a local cafe.

"It is sad to go, but it's already nice to drink a mocha without worrying about its effect on my dance, to cut my hair, to live outside the ballet."