Wondering Heights – Bradford 2025

Image description: A riso print collage in blue and orange made from half of the faces of Emily Brontë and Kate Bush looking straight at the viewer.

A Map… An Invitation…

A joyful micro-pilgrimage. A mass dance meditation for every body.

A playful, participatory invitation to think about and be with the beautiful moors around Bradford, with movement, imagination, and creativity in mind. Inspired by Kate Bush and Emily Brontë’s creative works, this project is available to explore at your own pace, wherever you are, in whatever way works for you.

Join in from the moors, your bed, garden, workplace – in whatever way feels right for you. (Note that the “official” final date for submissions of responses has now passed, but if you want to contribute then please do by sending something via the Jotform!)

Wondering Heights was supported by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Lucy’s feet in gold trainers & orange leg warmers next to a grey rock with bright yellow lichen sitting in long, dry grass.
A view across windswept grass on Thornton moor, wind turbines along the distant ridge, bright blue sky.
Lucy standing in front a flat vertical rock (one of the Brontë Stones) with writing carved into it.

What happens if we all think about a place, a dance, a song, all at the same time?

Wondering Heights is a project with many facets: a map, a dance, a walk, the moors, the invitation to participate or respond, or to simply observe and feel.

Detailed information and downloads of all the project materials, plus more information on ways to get involved, can be found on the accompanying Wondering Heights Information Page.

Below are some of the responses that were received while the project was running during summer 2025. The first video came from dancer Izzy Brittain who was also involved in creating the Wuthering Heights dance demonstration videos for Wondering Heights. In this video she worked with a Parkinson’s UK dance class in Halifax to create their truly Wonder-filled response the project.

“It’s thanks to your project and dance class I found out about the Haworth mass wuthering. The pic is me by a wild uplands sculpture.” Maria Spadafora, Morley, West Yorkshire

Response to the Wondering Heights project, submitted by Rachel Stoker from Ripon in North Yorkshire

“We thoroughly enjoyed the whole joint experience, meditating, moving, researching, reading, writing and wondering. Thank you again for inspiring us to be a part of this fully accessible, mass movement, a micro-pilgrimage across the miles, the moors and the decades. It has filled us with joy and hope.” Alison and Karen


“…research demonstrates that simply imagining rhythmic movement triggers physiological responses similar to actual dancing, including changes in heart rate variability and respiratory patterns.”

Dr. Peter Lovatt, Dance Psychologist, University of Hertfordshire

“Gatherings have the power to temporarily transport us to a world created for a specific purpose—where we feel we belong to something larger than ourselves.”

Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering


This project is conceived by Lucy Barker and delivered with a brilliant support team.

To access the map, dance videos and all the other project resources head to the Wondering Heights Information page.