Wolfgang Stange RIP - letter reposted

 

FROM  Turtle Key Arts and Amici Dance Theatre ... It is with great sadness that we need to let you know that our beloved Wolfgang left the world on Tuesday 3rd December 2024. Wolf's life and work has touched the hearts of us all and many others around the world. He will be missed so much but we know he would want us to share our memories and laugh and cry and stay dancing together.  If any of you would like to share your thoughts or stories with us, please click the link to leave them here.   Our thoughts and love are with you all,   Hilary, Barb, Lynne, Elaine, Ingrid, Colm, Ali and all from Amici and Turtle Key Arts. The Funeral of Wolfgang Stange will take place on Thursday 16th January 2025 at 11am, St Andrews Church, Fulham Fields, Greyhound Road London W14 9SA, which will be live streamed. The link will be on the Amici website homepage: www.amicidance.org

Wolfgang Stange - 1947-2024 Choreographer, Founder and Director of Amici Dance Theatre Company “This is real theatre, of which it can truthfully be said that it changes the way you see the world” - The Observer Wolfgang Stange, world renowned artistic dance director and choreographer in integrative dance theatre, innovator and friend to so many, sadly left the world on 3rd December 2024. Born in Berlin in 1947, a witness to the suffering of war he was profoundly influenced by Hilda Holger his first dance teacher. Going on to train at the London School of Contemporary Dance, Wolfgang lived in the UK dividing his time between the UK and Sri Lanka alongside his lifelong partner George Bevan, tap dancer, renowned Sri Lankan artist and Wolfgang’s rock of stability.  Wolfgang was visionary and groundbreaking in placing utter faith and respect in the potential of everyone to dance regardless of personal, emotional or physical limitation. Able to awaken the joy of spontaneous movement however small and overcoming what may seem impossible he could engender creativity out of chaos. In 1980 Wolfgang founded Amici Dance Theatre Company which will celebrate 45 years together as a company in 2025. Based at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London and supported by Turtle Key Arts, Amici’s productions challenge and inspire audiences confronting issues of war, genocide, isolation, insanity, oppression and exclusion to name but a few. Uncompromising in the direct portrayal of cultural taboos Wolfgang’s creativity and honesty speaks to the triumph of humanity, compassion, care, love and hope over brutality and adversity. Audiences leave exhausted, moved but enheartened. In 1982 Sir Ben Kingsley collaborated with Wolfgang for a TV play called “Feel Free” by Nick Darke based on Wolfgang’s work and Sir Ben Kingsley became Amici’s patron. In 1993 Wolfgang won the Vaslav Nijinsky award from the Polish Artists Agency for his choreography of “The Journey” which was performed in Warsaw as well as London. Wolfgang was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Roehampton University in 2023 and a lifetime achievement award from Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council in 2022. Wolfgang became an acclaimed workshop leader and dance director teaching in Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, America, Egypt and Europe. In Sri Lanka he created four productions for the Butterfly Theatre Company with the Sunera Foundation working with refugees, disabled soldiers, ex-Tamil fighters and Tsunami survivors. His work has touched the hearts of so many. Wolfgang’s passionate humanity, profound respect for each individual and strong sense of the power of community resonates in all his work. He changed people’s lives. Many people who have worked with Amici or attended a workshop have gone on to create and work with people with abilities and disabilities having been awakened to the potential we all possess to dance and express what is meaningful, regardless of diversity. A touch, a gesture, movement and stillness, humour and suffering, brutality and hope - these are the themes Wolfgang evokes in his work. “What some might see as disabilities, Stange sees as traits to be harnessed and used. He’s a showman, wholly unsentimental, with an exceptional gift for drawing truthful performances from his cast. He’s also one of British theatre’s great unsung heroes. Few artists make a real difference. Stange has.” - Luke Jennings, The Observer Wolfgang’s personality was irrepressible. His many friends around the world would be regaled with repeated stories told in words and gestures from his colourful life. Faced with the adversity of eliciting funding he would say “we will find a way” and he always did. His compassion for others, his generosity, honesty and strong sense of justice shone through in everything he did. His boldness at times could cause discomfort as well as laughter. He was uncompromising in his fierce dedication to creative truth and the dignity of everyone. Now, sadly, the lives that Wolfgang touched must bear his loss. It is a great loss, and it is right to grieve and miss him, but his legacy remains vital and alive within the hearts and bodies of so many people around the world who have played and danced with him. In Wolfgang’s own words “Without hope we would be very lost indeed. Even with the tragic conflicts and wars going on, we must have hope, hope for a better future, I believe our only hope for salvation is acceptance and tolerance.” Wolfgang’s creativity, compassion, care and humanity remains. This dance will continue…

Connecting Forms film by Bobby J

 Hurray!

After a year we get to enjoy the beautiful film Bobby made from Connecting Forms...

Thanks and more info below the film.

Grateful thanks to George at the Tate as when she asked who we would like to work with it happened, Matthew and Bobby!

Wolfgang Stange - departed

What can i say?

Most people who know Shallal have heard me talk of Wolfgang some have travelled to meet him in London or met him on zoom in the pandemic.

Meeting Sapphire Sumpter evoked a connection again, through the pandemic via zoom, which was never lost but not very active, greetings over the years, Christmas cards (i love them for keeping us lightly in touch ) and a visit years ago,  but i never could afford or spare time to go London* and we had a dream to get Wolfgang here via Hall for Cornwall and training early this year, but he had already started to have declining health so sadly it was put on hold and never happened.

Thank you to Ali at Turtle Key arts through whom i heard about his parting on the following morning, it helps, comforts, to have some details, as i was considering visiting him tomorrow!

* i did go once when Shallal first became a charity, someone offered me training expenses and i went to watch Amici's tribute to Hilda Holger, my teachers teacher.

So i can't say much, I love him as a person: an inspiration, one of the most humble loving souls i have encountered, Wolfgang showed me humility, honesty, fragility as strength and love in action. I cherished the time i spent with him running around London from class to class watching in awe and for once i was quite quiet!

THANK YOU.

he was and is my yardstick

when you come out of as session think, 'what have you learnt?' 

He brought joy, fun, depth and community of the heart.

Meeting him could quietly change your life and he claimed nothing, just told you another story!

there are some on here...https://youtu.be/dajN4pELOQU?si=jXg4jsCSM4ThePsC

I have been blessed to know (early on in my career) three amazing story tellers: Wolfgang, John Miller the artist and Fr Benedict a priest, all changed lives by walking alongside others.

Wolfgang https://www.amicidance.org/about/drop2-2

John Miller https://www.messums.com/artists/view/49/John_Miller

Fr. Benedict https://www.comae.org.uk/about-us/our-story/

Everyones story is a lesson, a meeting, a privilege, many thanks to everyone.

Exhibition Sunflowers and Water liIlies ...Costume Sharing Performance

 'so much going on' as i keep saying, that nowadays the blog is not always up to date, 

the instagram account is so please do follow us there for more information in real time...

www.instagram.com/shallalarts

Krowji Christmas Open Studios 

Big thank you to Helen and Therese, now such an established part of so much of Shallal, for decorating, tidying, meeting, greeting, introducing explaining, and Helen for beautiful varied exhibition.

250 visitors

 and Colin has made a wonderful map, we hope to share soon, so we can show where our sessions/groups are and explain the range of opportunities Shallal provides.

Followed swiftly by

Costume Sharing - Performance

Big Thank you from us all to Bunny Ladd for wonderful workshops and opportunities to create our own costumes. Everyone enjoyed it, were keen to do it and very impressed by Bunny's work.

We did a first outing above and hope to do more.

Each costume is such a strong statement and tells a story, evokes a response.

On Friday we settled for abstract connection and music, but we hope to work more deeply in time, being led by the outfit.

I look forward to sharing the images from it with you.

Thank you to everyone involved in making it happen.

 We had a good audience of about 30 people which is excellent for a Friday afternoon.

Feedback

Audience

'Best thing i've seen in years shoud be at the Hall for Cornwall'

'Brilliant'

'Beautiful'

'Wonderful'

Performer

'Joy'