|
Allan Wolf… the Gold Standard
By Bob Robinson
“Allan Wolf is the gold standard for poetry performance,” said Dr. Nile
Stanley, Editor, Florida Reading Quarterly.
High School students at Tri-Village seemed to agree, with clapping “in
time,” laughing (at the appropriate times) and nearly 100 percent rapt
attention during Wolf’s recent 50-minute performance.
Allan Wolf – author, poet, performer and educator – used guitar,
oratory and a type of mouth harp to entrap and hold the attention of
the students. He wrote mathematical formulas on a white board and stood
on a chair, almost like an orchestra conductor on a platform. He gave
them Shakespeare, Dickenson, Haiku, poetry to the tune of “The Yellow
Rose of Texas” and his own unique commentary on the world of poetry and
life in general.
The first time he picked up his guitar he cautioned the students that
it might not be in tune…
“I ran over it with my car,” he said.
Later, a student noted the crack, and the pencil that was being used to
hold the guitar strap in place and asked himself, “How do you run over
a guitar?”
When Wolf asked for six students to help him with a segment, seven
showed up. He took it in stride and had each of them visually depict a
stage of life, from being a baby to old age and oblivion.
Wolf is two people.
Off stage, he is quiet and unassuming. At 7 a.m. he was wrapping up his
breakfast, ready for the drive from Greenville to New Madison. He was
shown to the huge gymnasium where he would be performing, made a couple
of requests, then with methodical professionalism set the stage for the
students who would soon be arriving.
At one point a Tri-Village student held a door open for him…
“I go to schools all the time,” he said, “and when kids hold the door
for you, that makes the difference… a little bit of kindness doesn’t
cost a dime.”
When the students were seated and ready, he was suddenly Allan Wolf
(“yes, that’s how it’s spelled”), the dynamic, outgoing performer who
used nearly every inch of space he had allotted.
Wolf said he was impressed with Darke County. To the students, he
commented on the famous Maid Rite wall, covered with gum and coins.
Privately, he expressed his fascination with Garst Museum and noted a
special interest in the Treaty of Greene Ville.
“I was amazed and happy to see such a facility here,” he said. “It’s
really incredible.”
He had been unaware of Bears Mill, but on hearing about it decided to
alter his plans from heading directly south to taking the eastern route
and checking the mill out before heading to his home in North Carolina
that afternoon.
Wolf had been in Darke County all week, visiting each of the eight high
schools as part of Darke County Center for the Arts’ “Arts in
Education” program. Each year, DCCA strives to expand horizons and
inspire creativity in young hearts and minds by bringing special
performers to local school districts at four different grade levels.
In
September, singer/songwriter Lyle Cogen used the theme “Sticks &
Stones” to entertain and educate grades K through 3. In February
concert pianist Alpin Hong was scheduled to show students in grades 7
and 8
how classical composers laid the foundation for today’s contemporary
music. Unfortunately, school closings due to the weather made that
impossible. Wolf, a founder of “Poetry Alive!”, helped high school
teens
discover the power of language. On March 7-11, shadowgraphs artist
Leland Faulkner will explore the lost art of hand shadows for grades 4
through 6.
DCCA offers a variety of arts-oriented entertainment to the Darke
County community through its Artist Series, Exhibits in the Anna Bier
Gallery, Special Performances such as its Coffee House Series,
fundraisers such as Ghostwalk and A Taste of Wine & Jazz, and its
Family Theatre Series.
Get more information at www.centerforarts.net
or call 937-547-0908.
Allan Wolf will not be soon forgotten. He’s almost like a kid himself.
Posted on his website at www.allanwolf.com are ten things most people don’t
know about him. Among them are that he didn’t like school, has a pet
chicken named Attilla the Hen, has always dreamed of living in a house
with a secret room and can ride a skateboard standing on his hands.
Oh, and as a kid, one of his favorite things was writing on his bedroom
walls.
That’s Allan Wolf.
Bob Robinson is the
retired editor of The Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio, a Senior Scribe
and Editor of County News Online. If you wish to receive a daily
notification of County News Online posts, send your email address to:
countynewsonline@gmail.com. Feel free to express your views.
|
