GREENFIELD — The ghostly opening of Kate Bush’s 1978 hit “Wuthering Heights” drifted across Energy Park on Saturday as dozens of people in flowing red dresses knelt down on the rain-soaked grass before breaking into the song’s famously theatrical choreography.
For one hour, people of all ages and backgrounds gathered for Greenfield’s “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever,” a community dance event spearheaded by arts nonprofit Looky Here. Some participants traveled from across New England.
Despite the threat of rain throughout the evening, organizers carried on.
“We don’t have a rain date, so the show must go on,” co-organizer Vanessa Brewster said.
The event has become a summer tradition in Greenfield since its local debut in 2019, although its roots stretch back to 2013 when the British performance collective Shambush! organized the first “Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” in the United Kingdom. Inspired by Kate Bush’s iconic music video, the event spread to cities around the world before Brewster and fellow organizer Abby Rusk decided Greenfield should have one, too.
Brewster and Rusk, former roommates at Smith College, had spent years watching Bush’s music videos and teaching themselves the singer’s distinctive choreography.
“We used to watch all of Kate Bush’s videos and learn all of the dances,” Brewster shared. “Not just ‘Wuthering Heights.’”
That appreciation eventually evolved into a public event that now attracts participants from across New England.
“People come out from Boston and Maine, since this is the closest one,” Brewster said. “They’re Kate Bush fans, they want to participate, they want to be in a Kate Bush community.”
Saturday’s gathering reflected that enthusiasm. Waves of “Kates” came in droves well after the event started. Many wore red dresses, flower hair clips and tights in homage to Bush’s flowing costume from the original music video. More experienced dancers were scattered through the crowd, quietly helping newcomers learn the choreography before the group performed it together.
The dance itself is unconventional, filled with sweeping arm movements, dramatic gestures and expressive poses. Brewster said that’s part of its appeal.
“She’s very weird,” Brewster said of Bush. “She was a mime, so she has very weird and unique dance moves and a unique sense of timing. It’s very theatrical and very silly.”
Perfection, however, has never been the objective.
“I think we succeed every year in teaching people the dance in an hour,” Brewster said. “It’s about showing up, and wearing red, mostly.”
That philosophy was evident throughout the evening. Participants laughed through missed steps and applauded one another after the final practice run. Children danced alongside adults while first-time attendees blended in with returning participants.
There was little hesitation among newcomers, many of whom quickly found themselves following the lead of Brewster and Rusk. By the final performance, much of the crowd moved confidently together, despite having learned the choreography in such a short time.
For Brewster, the event offers more than a tribute to Bush. It also aligns with Looky Here’s broader mission of making art participatory and accessible.
“One of our main missions is to support and create resources for artists,” she said.
With grant funding from the Crossroads Cultural District Committee, Looky Here was able to use Energy Park and keep the event free for participants.
“We love to put on big events that are free to the public so people can come and participate in art,” Brewster said.
After the performance concluded, participants made their way to Looky Here’s gallery space, where karaoke featuring Bush’s discography awaited them, along with the chance to warm up from the chilly breeze and continue the celebration. The gathering allowed many attendees who had just met in the park to continue talking, sharing photos and celebrating a shared appreciation for the British singer.
