There was something transporting in the way the bright red dresses enveloped you in the crowd and carried you along on the gentle rise and fall of Kate Bush's ethereal rhythm drifting from the speakers at the front of the formation.
Every move had a name - the 'serve the plates', 'slave to the master' (named for the lyric), 'zombie walk' and the acrobatic 'backwards pterodactyl'. Still, it wasn't about performing the choreography - the moves were there more as a guide than a strict rule. The point was to lose yourself in the dance.
"It's pure joy," organiser Natalie Mitchell said, "There's nothing else like it."
It's aptly called 'the most Wuthering Heights day ever'. It began in the UK around 2013 as a fan culture event to celebrate and recreate the 1978 music video to Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights'. It quickly gained traction around the globe and spiked around a resurgence of the artist's music in 2022 when it appeared in the hit series Stranger Things.
But at its heart, organisers say the event is about women coming together in a spirit of community and, as the adage goes, to dance like no one is watching.
"It's empowering, dancing in the park," Linda Spinner said. "It doesn't matter what you're doing or when you're doing it - it all just flows, and, in the end, you just go around and around, and we're all just swirling. It's beautiful."
Organisers took the crowd of around 200 dancers through the moves in a practice round before the main event, as the natural amphitheatre of King Edward Park became dotted with spectators on Saturday afternoon, August 10.
The dancers are collectively called 'Kates' as they go through the motions, but the moniker doesn't discriminate. Anyone can be a Kate on the most Wuthering Heights day ever - women, children, men, even pets.
Nina and Matilda, the 'Hounds of Love', were decked out in the customary red frock and lounged as their owner, Alex von Rabenau, danced to the beat.
"I have spoken to people today who have driven hours to be here," she said. "People from Goulburn, Bega, have come specifically for this."
In a world that sometimes feels crushed by the bombardment of bad news, the Kates find refuge in the rhythm.
"People just want to connect over something positive and simple and just to escape the bullshit," Ms von Rabenau said. "We're just celebrating good things and happiness and the opposite of all the crap going on in the world."
Organiser Rachel Bond - a veteran Kate - led the choreography from the front with a practised turn. At other times, she has been a campaigner at rallies and vigils around Newcastle held to stop the scourge of domestic violence and assault on women. At the weekend, she said the dance was a place where everyone was welcome.
"What's wonderful is around the world, women are getting together to dance and to enjoy one another's company, but they're also raising money for different worthy causes," she said, "Our cause today is the Warlga Ngurra women and children's refuge.
"It's beautiful that women can be coming together to support one another and have a fun day, but also be doing some meaningful work to help women in need.
"Men, women, children, animals, we want you all. Come and put a splash of red lipstick on and join us."
