Ballet dancers present hope during London Climate Action Week

A beach overlooking Tower Bridge will become the stage for a ballet billed as a performance of hope during London Climate Action Week.

The special performance, taking place on Bermondsey Beach on the banks of the River Thames, is part of the Climate Basecamp campaign, which calls on everyone to “present hope” to help combat the climate crisis.

Performing Hope for Nature and Climate in the City features some of Britain’s finest young ballet dancers, all students of the Central School of Ballet, and is a reminder that hope requires us all to take individual action to tackle the climate crisis.

“As the climate crisis escalates, marked by record-breaking temperatures and increasing extreme weather events, it is natural to feel overwhelmed, but hope remains a powerful force deeply rooted in human existence,” said Gail Whiteman, co-founder of Climate Basecamp and Professor of Sustainability at the University of Exeter Business School.

“But hope must be accompanied by decisive action. Recognizing that hope is not passive, but rather a call to proactive engagement, we advocate the concept of ‘Performing Hope’ – the conscious decision to take daily actions that help address the climate crisis.”

The grace and energy of the 18 dancers will contrast with the murky waters of the Thames and the London skyline, reminding us that nature offers hope every day, whether we realize it or not, and that by offering hope to nature, we recognize and honor this essential feature of the ecosystems that surround us.

The optimistic message during a week of climate action in the capital is the latest contribution to Climate Basecamp’s Performing Hope campaign, a call to action alongside the performing arts sector to help us face the emotional truth of the nature and climate crisis and experience the catharsis that will reduce fears and provide hope to continue the work needed to continue the work of scaling up climate action.

“This collaboration with Climate Basecamp during London Climate Action Week allows us to bring together some of London’s best young dancers to perform for nature along the Thames. With a great choreographer and composer on board for this bold idea to combat climate apathy by actively portraying hope, we can bring energy, youth and beauty to Performing Hope for Nature and Climate in the City,” said Louise Bennett, Creative Producer of the performance.

“Performing Hope” kicked off this year in Davos with a cello and ballet concert on the summit of Schatzalp – a performance that addressed the climatic challenges facing the world’s glaciers.

This performance of hope will highlight the importance of youth voices. The dancers are all students whose futures will be directly impacted by the actions now being taken to combat the climate emergency.

Climate Basecamp is a nonprofit organization that makes conversations about the climate crisis more relevant to the public by building on five pillars of culture: food, entertainment, sports, fashion and music.

It was founded by Professor Whiteman together with American actor Rainn Wilson and comedy writer and producer Chuck Tatham and is the sister organisation of the climate communication platform Arctic Basecamp.

“Our approach, based on informed optimism and scientific understanding, empowers individuals, organisations and communities to generate the collective energy needed to drive meaningful change towards a sustainable future,” said Professor Whiteman, a social scientist whose academic work focuses on how decision-makers can assess the systemic global risks of climate change and other environmental threats.

“Performing Hope for Nature and Climate in the City” will take place on 26 June 2024 from 1pm-3pm (London time) at Bermondsey Beach.