Published: 07/27/2022 14:12:15
In 2019, Kate Bush fanatics traveled to Greenfield from across the Northeast to celebrate her work on The Most Wuthering Heights Ever day; it will happen again this Saturday at Energy Park.
“It’s a great time to connect with others in an awesome spirit and Kate Bush,” said Desiree Lowit, one of the event organizers.
Bush is a British singer-songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s. In 1978, at the age of 18, Bush released her first single, “Wuthering Heights”, and became the first female artist in the UK to reach number one on the charts with an original song. She posted an iconic video of herself dancing to the song all in red.
This event, along with other events around the world, will celebrate this song with a hundred or more people performing its dance and dressed like Bush in the video.
Wuthering Heights’ Biggest Day was started in 2013 by the Shambush Group in Brighton, UK, where they attempted to break the world record for the most people dressed as Bush in one place. Since 2013, the event has spread across the world. This year, around 45 official events are taking place across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and North America.
The dance will begin at Energy Park at 5:30 p.m. The organizers will take an hour to teach and practice the dance. At 6:45 p.m., the real show will begin.
“Nobody needs to know the dance. It’s just in the spirit of Kate Bush, dressed in red and dancing,” Lowit explained.
The dancing is no small feat, being mostly fluid arm movements. Vanessa Brewster, another event organizer, named each dance move with descriptions or lyrics so she could memorize each move in the video.
Participation will cost a suggested $5. This will cover the price to reserve Energy Park for the event, any additional money raised will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
Looky Here, a gallery located a stone’s throw from Energy Park, is sponsoring the day. 10Forward, a dance club also in the area, will be hosting an after party.
10Forward will perform the documentary “The Kate Bush Factor” and Loculus Dance Collective will perform a dance at the after party. This will be followed by acts from touring bands and DJs. There will be no entrance fee for people in disguise.
In 2019, people from New York and Boston traveled to the Greenfield event because it was the only one held in the northeast, according to Sarah Lynn Delano, owner of 10Forward. This year, the closest event is in Philadelphia, so travelers should come this time as well.
Bush gained popularity thanks to his song “Running Up That Hill” played in the new season of the popular Netflix show “Stranger Things”. The song then trended on TikTok and started a surge of interest in his music. This new found interest will certainly have an effect on the number of people who will dance this year.
Lowit explained that she listened to “Wuthering Heights” on repeat while dealing with a breakup, creating new meaning and love for Bush and the song. Everyone has a different association with the 1978 hit, but they’ll all rejoice in the dance together this Saturday.
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or [email protected]