Sea Dance Collective:WHO WE ARE

We are a group of dancers horrified and angered by the climate crisis.

We are a group of activists wary of the narrative that art cannot be a lucrative tool for change.

  1. First Performance: Body Benthic

    And isn’t it kind of lovely to be sensual with the sea?

    This is an eco-sexual manifesto. A refreshing wave to bring us back to the joy that can be found at the ocean.

    Dancers: Allison Spann, Maia Sage and Olivia Lengyel
    Vocals: Allison Spann
    Choreographers: Julia Padavona & Sia Luna

    Poem written by Sea Dance Collective member Margarete Maneker, set to music and sung and composed by Allison Spann.

  2. Second Performance: All My Lives

    This is a love song.

    On behalf of coral reefs, in dedication to all of the life forms that they sustain.


    Written and performed by Allison Spann.

Photo of Sea Dance's choreographer, Naïma Pöhler

Why the Bleached Costume?

We are embodying the deep. Coral reefs have been Sea Dance’s biggest inspiration for choreography and advocacy.


“The biggest story of our changing climate is hidden beneath the waves.”

—Chasing Coral, Sundance-Award winning documentary 


Corals are in hot water, literally, and we need to help. Scientists around the world are taking action: some are collecting “seed banks” to preserve the biodiversity of the corals, while others are designing reef restoration projects, or examining how to genetically alter corals so they can be more resilient.

  • Did you know we’ve lost 50% of the world’s coral reefs in the last 30 years? 

  • A temperature increase of just 2 degrees Celsius may not seem like a lot in the air, but for marine life this is like living with a constant fever. 

  • Coral reef ecosystems support 25% of marine life in our ocean.

  • 93% of heat trapped in the earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean. Without our oceans, the average air temperature would be 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • The full environmental and economic value of coral reefs is estimated at $3.4 billion per year.

  • In the 2016 global bleaching event, we lost 29% of the Great Barrier Reef.

Questions for the audience to consider:

  1. Has your local city or neighborhood experienced any effects of climate change? Do you know anyone who has experienced climate change impacts firsthand? 

  2. What is one step you can take to combat the effects of climate change in your community?

  3. What would you like to tell an elected official in your town, country or world about climate change?

  4. What is your vision or hope for corals and the ocean for future generations?

  5. What actions can we take as individuals and as a community to preserve coral reefs?