SOIL CEILIDH
The soil is home to a quarter of all living organisms on Earth. There can be billions of tiny organisms in just one teaspoon of soil: miles and miles of fungal strands called hyphae, and billions of bacteria. They break down rock, absorbing the nutrients, and share these nutrients with plants in exchange for plant sugars made through photosynthesis. Plants feed sugars down into the soil and the fungal hyphae and bacteria feed nutrients up. There is so much happening beneath our feet — a dynamic mutualistic system we can think of as a great dance. This is the focus of EARTHBEAT.
The SOIL CEILIDH begins with a short introduction by a scientist to the invisible life in soil. Everyone listens through headphones. Then three dance artists guide the participants through essential ideas and movements: plants feed down — sending sugars to the soil organisms; fungi and bacteria feed up — sending nutrients to the plants; fungal hyphae weave and fuse through the soil forming giant connected networks; bacteria send signals to each other. Fungi are the great cleaners of our world, and we dance the remarkable process of decomposition.
Once everyone has experienced these ideas through movement, the headphones come off and the ceilidh band strikes up. A dance artist shows everyone how to connect the moves into a thrilling social dance, which is then repeated a second time, faster!
Once everyone has experienced these ideas through movement, the headphones come off and the ceilidh band strikes up. A dance artist shows everyone how to connect the moves into a thrilling social dance, which is then repeated a second time, faster!
When the dancing is over, everyone contributes to a giant mycelium network and answers: “What did you learn from the soil today?” People expressed how much fun and joy they had: “It was soooo fun!” and “Had an amazing time!”. Many comments revealed the magic of learning by moving: “I learned that you can learn with dance.” “How the body helps learning.” “I love how you managed to transform it all into dance.” Others focused on mutualism and interconnection: “Mutualistic means being friends!” “We are all connected.” For many, it was an awakening to the idea that soil is alive: “I learned that the soil is alive and busy all the time.” Others loved discovering fungi: “The hyphae create mycelial networks.” “Fungi send things up to the plants!”.
We can host up to ?? people at a time, or as few as 15.
Impact
The SOIL CEILIDH sets out to bring the soil to life by embodying information. The result is powerful: a joyful, memorable experience that connected science, movement, and community in a way people genuinely felt and carried with them.
Participants absorb complex ecological ideas with ease, because they didn’t just hear about mutualism, they became mutualistic — offering sugars, exchanging nutrients, and weaving together as fungal networks. Through dance, these invisible processes became tangible and unforgettable.
What do people say?
Many say they learned more than they expected. The combination of physical movement and scientific ideas allowed the learning to land in a different way — a way that sticks. People discovered that the body is a remarkable learning tool and that joy, play, and curiosity can open doors to understanding. The word “mutualistic” kept coming back in people’s comments — not just as a scientific concept, but as a human one. The SOIL CEILIDH reminded us that we need each other, that we thrive when we work together, and that connection is at the heart of both nature and community. The project also shifted people’s perception of soil — no longer just dirt underfoot, but a living, breathing system teeming with life. For many, this realisation was profound. They left with a new sense of responsibility and awe for the living world.
The SOIL CEILIDH created joy. In the midst of scientific ideas, there was laughter, shared energy, and a collective dance that people didn’t want to stop. Some even called it “a revolution in learning.”
The SOIL CEILIDH sets out to bring the soil to life by embodying information. The result is powerful: a joyful, memorable experience that connected science, movement, and community in a way people genuinely felt and carried with them.
Participants absorb complex ecological ideas with ease, because they didn’t just hear about mutualism, they became mutualistic — offering sugars, exchanging nutrients, and weaving together as fungal networks. Through dance, these invisible processes became tangible and unforgettable.
What do people say?
Many say they learned more than they expected. The combination of physical movement and scientific ideas allowed the learning to land in a different way — a way that sticks. People discovered that the body is a remarkable learning tool and that joy, play, and curiosity can open doors to understanding. The word “mutualistic” kept coming back in people’s comments — not just as a scientific concept, but as a human one. The SOIL CEILIDH reminded us that we need each other, that we thrive when we work together, and that connection is at the heart of both nature and community. The project also shifted people’s perception of soil — no longer just dirt underfoot, but a living, breathing system teeming with life. For many, this realisation was profound. They left with a new sense of responsibility and awe for the living world.
The SOIL CEILIDH created joy. In the midst of scientific ideas, there was laughter, shared energy, and a collective dance that people didn’t want to stop. Some even called it “a revolution in learning.”