Special Focus on Continued Learning
Being Moved to Act
Using dance to raise awareness of the climate crisis Eliot Smith is Founder and Creative Director of Eliot Smith Dance which received the Green Dance Award at the 2022 One Dance UK Awards. He shares his passion for climate awareness and offers advice on how we all can play our role.
Photos: Yamit Salazar & Will Allen
Eliot Smith
Climate change isn't just an environmental issue. It's a social and political one as well. It's one that requires all of us and our governments to act. In early 2021, Eliot Smith Dance (ESD), based in Gateshead, shifted its focus to raising awareness of the climate crisis and its impact on the environment. Participating in peaceful demonstrations in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, I met people from all walks of life and decided to act. It was then I thought that my next contemporary dance work must highlight some of the dimensions of climate change. You might ask: How and why can dance help us tackle climate change? Well, there are three things we know about dance. Firstly, movement is one of the most natural things we do, and we all do it. Secondly, dance is universal. Every culture has some form of traditional dance or sacred movement that has been passed down across generations. Third, dance is a shared form of nonverbal communication. I am reminded of my introduction to dance, whereby from the age of four I attended weekly speech therapy sessions at Newcastle University. I was later diagnosed as dyslexic. Movement was my language, my speech and my way to communicate. It still is today. These three simple aspects about 20 The One Dance UK Magazine | Spring 2023
dance, that it's so inherently human, that it's universal across cultures, and that it speaks to us without words is a powerful tool that we can harness to highlight climate change globally. In 2021, my impetus to choreograph and tour Life was the desire to present a visual, physical and auditory awareness of climate change. During the project’s research and development, I became a member of Alnwick-based (Northumberland) Friends of The Earth and subsequently implemented ESD’s first Environmental Policy which was reviewed by local green enterprise Green Heart Collective. Alongside our performances, ESD has been delivering multiple workshops in Newcastle upon Tyne for children, young people and adults who do not normally have access to contemporary dance or face numerous disadvantages. Their first dance experiences with the company were exploring climate change and fast fashion’s impact on the environment. This work is ongoing. Looking further ahead I am excited to take ESD’s high quality and accessible dance works to an international audience but this comes at a cost, which is not merely financial. As the urgency of the climate crisis increases, so does the need to understand our touring footprint. In response to this, I am thrilled to share that ESD has been offered a place on the second
edition of the International Touring and Environmental Responsibility (ITER) programme, led by Julie’s Bicycle and funded by Arts Council England and the Danish Arts Foundation. This opportunity is not to be taken for granted. I look forward to sharing my learnings from ITER programme with the wider UK dance sector. I hope to unlock innovative environmentally conscious thinking in relation to touring dance internationally. We are all moved by dance and it is in our DNA. I believe the the dance community in the UK can be a global springboard to inspire other dance companies, artists and creatives alike to act responsibly and tackle climate change. So, the next time you watch or participate in dance, I want you to think about how that experience made you feel? As for my own personal experiences as choreographer and former dancer, I have seen how the movement of dance can educate and empower audiences, and inspire them to act, to make a change for a more sustainable and healthier, greener world.
Further information
Eliot Smith Dance presents HUMAN as part of a UK tour in May-June 2023. eliotsmithdance.com juliesbicycle.com
