Dancing for Change: What We Learned During DanceSyndrome’s Environment Week
At DanceSyndrome, we believe that dance can do more than just entertain, it can change perceptions, inspire action and bring people together. That’s exactly what happened during our first-ever Environment Week, which took place from Monday 28th July to Friday 1st August 2025.
This special week was created to spark conversations around climate action and environmental sustainability. We wanted to use movement, creativity and community to encourage people of all abilities to think about their own environmental impact.
Environment Week was co-produced by our passionate Environment Champions [pictured left to right] Kate Battersby (Professional Development Manager), Lucy Burgess (Dance Leader) and Sarah Calderbank (Communications Manager), who spent months designing activities that were accessible, educational, and fun.
The team worked together to create a downloadable, paper-less brochure about Environment Week, which you can download on this link. This brochure shares learning from the last year and some ideas about how everyone can get involved in Environment Week themselves, including dates for beach clean events, ideas for meat-free meals and ways to help plants and animals to thrive.
Throughout the week, the DanceSyndrome team turned our weekly inclusive dance sessions into opportunities for environmental learning. Both the community and online Everybody Dance sessions all had inspiring themes, including plants, animals, different environments and outdoor spaces and the weather. One group used branches from a fallen tree outside the community centre as props. Our Chorley group imagined that they were dancing through Astley Park, imagining the woods, the open space and thinking about the things they might see and hear to inspire them.
Our DS Collective and DS Youth Collective members were invited to join us for two special days of activities which were focused on learning about the environment.
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Monday: Litter Picking and Learning in the Park
On Monday 28th July, members of the DanceSyndrome performance collectives gathered in Miller and Avenham Park in Preston for a morning of litter picking, followed by a plastic and meat-free picnic and a dance session inspired by the nature found in the park.
Preston City Council’s Head Gardener, Mick Ashmore shared some powerful insights about how climate change is already affecting local green spaces:
- The Aucuba Laurel, a vital winter-fruiting plant that supports birds and other wildlife, is dying out due to climate change. Gardeners are now planting alternative species to maintain food sources for resident species.
- The park has stopped using pesticides in green spaces, to protect pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other insects. This change also supports animals higher up the food chain, such as hedgehogs, which are declining due to insect loss.
- 98% of park waste is recycled, with the remaining 2% going to incineration to become renewable energy.
- Mick also explained that without ongoing gardening, the park’s ecosystem would suffer, with plants crowding each other out, and safety risks would increase. The beauty and biodiversity we enjoy relies on careful, ongoing work from their dedicated team.
Mick’s “behind-the-scenes” perspective gave us all a new appreciation for the people and practices that keep green spaces healthy. It reminded us we can all play a part in looking after the environment.
Inspired by what we learned, we created site-specific dance movements in the park, reflecting the textures, shapes and energy of the natural world around us.
Wednesday: Words, Movement and Environmental Messages
On Wednesday 30th July, our DS Collective dancers had the chance to explore the intersection of activism and art through poetry, music and film.
In the morning, we worked with Claire Beerjeraz — a writer, performer, spoken word artist, and creative therapist who blends creativity with activism to bring attention to urgent social and environmental issues.
Claire invited dancers to think about words they associate with nature, then supported them in turning those words into original poetry. The group then layered dance and movement over the poetry, resulting in a powerful, multi-sensory exploration of what the natural world means to each of us.
This was the first time DanceSyndrome had blended poetry and dance in this way and it brought about some incredibly moving and reflective moments.
In the afternoon, we welcomed filmmaker Sima Gonsai, who shared her 2022 short film ‘Cultivate,’ a duet performed by two dancers which draws on research into soil health, farming practices and ecological preservation. Through a unique fusion of South Asian dance and film, it highlights how the soil beneath our feet is alive and sustains all life, including us.
After the screening, Dance Leaders had the opportunity to interview the filmmaker, ask questions about the creative process and reflect on how dance can be used to raise awareness of climate issues.
This session challenged us to think beyond our own experiences of dance performance and consider how art can be a tool for environmental change.
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What We’ve Learned
Throughout the week, DanceSyndrome’s community showed how small actions can make a big difference. Whether through litter picking, changing our eating habits, recycling or expressing ourselves through art, we all found new ways to think and talk about climate action.
Our Dance Leaders, many of whom have learning disabilities, led the way with energy, creativity, and insight, showing that inclusion and sustainability can go hand in hand in exciting ways.
As part of our work as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, we’re committed to embedding environmental responsibility into everything we do, not just for Environment Week, but all year round.
What Made DanceSyndrome’s Environment Week Work?
Everyone can make small changes that help the environment. We have embraced all actions no matter how small, because they all add up to change!
We don’t want the environment and climate change to be something that causes worry for our dancers. We think it can be fun to think about the environment and to try new things that make the world a better place! Our new, challenging activities were fun and interesting and made people want more!
We asked people to only do what they are able to do and feel comfortable with, just like when we dance. This enables people to get involved and empowers them to make change in their own way.
Remember, even the smallest changes all add up to make a difference, so don’t be afraid to give something a try! Why not download our Environment Week guide booklet to get some inspiration?
Want to learn more or get involved?
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