Wolfgang Stange is Director, Founder and Principal Choreographer at Amici, the world’s first disability-inclusive professional dance company, which will celebrate their 40th anniversary with the world premiere of One World: Wealth of the Common People.
After delaying the much-anticipated premiere from 2020 due to the pandemic, this pioneering dance-theatre company are bringing together an 80 strong cast of disabled and non-disabled performers. Many of the performers and companies have been invited by Amici from across the globe for a timely exploration of unity and tolerance amidst the ongoing global refugee crises.
One World: Wealth of the Common People, choreographed by acclaimed Wolfgang Stange, is at Lyric Hammersmith Wednesday 29th June – Saturday 2nd July.
You’re bringing One World: Wealth of the Common People to Lyric Hammersmith, what can you tell us about it?
Having worked in the community since 1975, sharing my love for dance, I‘ve had numerous experiences of the so called “Common People” showing me their individual creative artistry. Teaching in London, a melting pot of different cultures, showed me that art bridges all cultures and economic backgrounds – it unifies our globe.
What inspired the production and why did now seem like the right time to stage it?
The original ideas were the results of the conflicts and wars in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the refugee crises that developed from them. That was in 2020, our actual 40th anniversary year, but due to the Covid pandemic we had to re-schedule One World. We are so pleased to now be able to perform the show at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. However, sadly, nothing has changed in the two years and now there is even more destruction and the new refugee crisis with the Ukraine war. So the themes of the show seem even more relevant now.
Like most people I have been deeply affected by the innocent lives that have been lost, and the tragic exodus of mothers trying to escape the onslaught, protecting their children, seeking refuge in foreign countries.
Tell us a little more about Amici, and how One World fits in to the company’s ethos?
Amici is about sharing and accepting differences in whatever shape or form they may take, and that celebrating each other’s differences is the only way forward.
You’re inviting performers from across the globe, why was that important and how did you go about selecting those who would participate?
We are inviting guest performers from all over the world that we have worked with over the years – Brio Theatre (USA), Jolt Dance (New Zealand), Dragon’s Heart and Dragon’s Soul (Wales), Indepen-dance (Scotland), Eluwana M Pushpasiri (Sri Lanka) and Ich Bin O.K. (Austria). We also have professional opera singer Wendy Grose from Australia performing as part of the show. In total we have 41 international artists joining us for the week and showcasing their work in the studio, with 22 joining the production of One World.
Has it been important to you to retain a sense of hope while exploring such suffering?
It is more important than ever to remind ourselves that in order to change things, we must relive some of those horrors, but we must not lose sight of hope. Without hope we would be very lost indeed. Even with the tragic conflicts and wars going on, we have to have hope, hope for a better future without killings of the innocent, which the mothers in our performance are demonstrating and fighting for.
What would you say to anyone thinking of coming to see One World: Wealth of the Common People?
One World is our largest production to date, it is an ambitious spectacle of dance, spoken word and live music, with over 80 dis-abled and non-disabled performers from all over the world on stage in an explosive celebration of joy, life, protest and the beauty of uniting people from different cultures across the globe. Come and share the joy of flying kites, and remember your childhood games. But also experience the grief and pain of the ordinary people who are affected by the madness of conflict and war, and most important share in believing in the children who will create a better world.
