The Recorder – Kate Bush fans celebrate Wuthering Heights Day ever in Greenfield

Greenfield – With people around the world inspiring Kate Bush’s music, a group of fans gathered at the Energy Park on Saturday to celebrate her work.

July 30, the birthday of the British singer and songwriter, is an international day called Wuthering Heights Day ever. Fans gather in select cities to perform the dance for Bush’s 1978 music video for “Wuthering Heights,” dressed all in red.

Some of the crowd at the Energy Park have been doing the bush’s flowing dance moves since 1978; Others learned to dance on Saturdays.

“I was 18 when the video first came out. I’ve been dancing since I first saw it,” said Juniper Talbot, a dancer from West Cummington. She performed the dance on stage while others in the crowd were rehearsing.

Most Wuthering Heights Day was started in 2013 by the Shambush group in Brighton, UK, as they attempted to break the world record for most people wearing a bush costume in one place. Since 2013, the event has expanded worldwide. This year, there are about 45 officially accredited events taking place across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and North America.

Ryan Stratton, who recently moved to Greenfield, came to Energy Park on Saturday as a way to experience his new city.

“I first saw the video in my freshman year of college in 2007,” he said.

Claira Guidaboni, a student at Turners Falls High School, first saw Bush’s video during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Once I watched the video, I memorized the dance by playing it on TV.

“I thought when everyone heard ‘Stranger Things,’ all the teens would come in,” Gedabone said. Kate Bush is experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to TikTok and the popular Netflix show that featured her song “Running Up That Hill”.

While Saturday’s event attracted more dancers than Greenfield’s celebration in 2019, adding up to 100 people, the audience was mostly older women.

“The return of Kate Bush is a victory for outsiders,” said Kelly Drew, a dancer from Greenfield. Most of the dancers in attendance wore red Bush-inspired outfits, but Drew went all out by wearing the flower Bush was seen wearing in the video, as well as green eyeshadow and bright lipstick, mimicking Bush’s look.

Talbot explained that Bush has never played a concert in America, so events like the one at the Energy Park are an opportunity for her fans to “gather what she gave us and applaud.”

The event raised enough money to rent the energy park for the day, plus an additional $250 that will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Bella Levavi can be contacted at 413-930-4579 or [email protected].