As Simone Damberg Würtz takes her final bow as a Rambert dancer and begins a new chapter as Rehearsal Director, Daniel Albon, Rambert’s Head of Archives, reflects on her extraordinary career, the legacy she has created and the kindness that has shaped her impact on the company.

I am incredibly fortunate and privileged to often write for Rambert’s social media channels and website, telling the stories of our dancers, our history and our future. This time, though, I wanted to write something more personal.

Last week, Simone Damberg Würtz took her final bow as a Rambert dancer.

There are many remarkable achievements that define Simone’s career. She joined Rambert in 2013, making her debut in What Wild Ecstasy at The Lowry on 9 October that year, before the company made its final move from the Chiswick studios to our home on London’s South Bank. Over the following thirteen years she would perform more than 750 times, more than any other Rambert dancer in the company’s history.

Think about that for a moment. Over 750 performances. Hundreds of rehearsals. Thousands of hours in the studio. Countless miles travelled on tour. New creations brought to life from the very first rehearsal, iconic works revived for new generations of audiences, and performances in theatres across the UK and around the world.

Her artistry has taken Rambert far beyond the traditional theatre stage. She has performed at some of the UK’s leading cultural events and on international broadcasts, including the BAFTA Television Awards, the BBC’s Team GB Homecoming concert, the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, West End Live, French television’s Quotidien, and alongside FKA twigs at Vogue World – bringing contemporary dance to audiences numbering not just in the hundreds, but in the millions.

She has danced under two Artistic Directors, Mark Baldwin and Benoit Swan Pouffer, and helped define successive eras of Rambert’s artistic journey. Audiences have seen her in works including Rooster, Dark Arteries, Flight, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, and so many more. Along the way she became the first contemporary female dancer to receive the National Dance Award for Best Female Dancer, founded The Playground, built an impressive choreographic career, and continually pushed the boundaries of what a contemporary dance artist can be.

Those achievements are extraordinary. But they aren’t the first thing I think of when I think of Simone. What has always struck me most is her kindness.

Simone has an effortless way of sharing her experience and knowledge exactly when someone needs it most. She quietly helps people become better at what they do, never seeking recognition for herself. It is an extraordinary quality, and one that reminds me of another remarkable woman who shaped this company.

Marie Rambert was often described as having a unique ability to see potential in people and to help them become more than they thought possible. She nurtured talent, encouraged curiosity and created an environment where people could flourish. One hundred years later, I genuinely believe that spirit still exists within Rambert because people like Simone continue to embody it.

A few weeks ago I found myself in A&E in the early hours of a Monday morning with my mum after she had broken her arm. It had been a difficult night. There had been delays, confusion and several issues getting the correct X-rays ordered.

By the time my Mum’s cast was finally being fitted, the stress of the morning had begun to subside. As the staff nurse leaned over to help her, I caught sight of her name badge.

It simply read: Mim.

For anyone who knows Rambert’s history, “Mim” was the affectionate name used for Marie Rambert.

Of course, it wasn’t really about the name. It was the comfort, compassion and reassurance that nurse showed us at exactly the right moment. It reminded me that what makes Rambert so special has never just been the performances. It is the care people show one another. The belief that by helping someone else, everyone becomes stronger.

That culture has been passed from generation to generation for a century. And Simone has lived those values every single day.

I have been Head of Archives at Rambert for four and a half years and, throughout that time, Simone has always been incredibly generous with her knowledge, her experience and, above all, her kindness. She has quietly made all of us better at our jobs, often without even realising it.

As an archivist, I spend much of my time preserving Rambert’s history. One day, people will look back at Simone’s career through photographs, programmes, reviews and performance records. They’ll see the statistics, over 750 performances, countless productions and an extraordinary list of achievements.

But I hope they also understand something that is much harder to catalogue. The impact she had on people. The encouragement she gave. The generosity she showed. The culture she helped shape. That, to me, is every bit as important as the performances themselves.

It feels entirely fitting that Simone now begins a new chapter as Rambert’s Rehearsal Director. There could hardly be a better person to help carry this company into its second century.

Thank you, Simone, for everything you have given to Rambert.

And thank you for reminding all of us that perhaps the greatest legacy we leave isn’t simply what we achieve, but how we help others achieve their own potential.

Perhaps, in that sense, we can all try to be just a little more like Marie.