Dancing with Debris: Mocean Dance Brings the Ocean’s Struggle to Life

On a remote island, where wild horses roam and winds howl across endless dunes, a different kind of story unfolds. Beyond the romantic allure of Sable Island’s untamed beauty lies a more urgent narrative, one that speaks to the quiet struggles of the ocean itself. It is here, amidst the sand and sea, that the Sable Ocean Dance Project was born—it is a delicate balance of artistic expression and environmental activism, brought to life through the collaboration of Mocean Dance and the Sable Island Institute (SII).

A meeting of minds: The genesis of the project

The Sable Ocean Dance Project began with a unique partnership inspired by Mocean Dance’s 2015 performance about Sable Island, choreographed by Serge Bennathan. Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and founder of the SII, saw the performance and envisioned a new project focusing on marine debris and ocean pollution. Moved by Mocean Dance’s work, Lucas reached out to collaborate, believing that dance, with its emotional and visceral power, was the ideal medium to convey the weight of ocean pollution and the island’s environmental struggles.

“Dance,” Lucas says, “was the most visceral way to embody the urgency of ocean pollution.” Mocean Dance had previously worked with Sable Island subject matter in 2015 to explore the island’s history and spirit. This time, the story was darker—an untold tale of plastic debris that echoes a global crisis.

For Mocean Dance, this project offered an opportunity to return to Sable Island to explore it from a different perspective. While many are captivated by the island’s wild horses, shipwrecks and untamed beauty, few understand its role as a microcosm of the global plastic crisis. “Sable Island is both romantic and tragic,” explains Mocean Dance.

Breathing life into plastic: Navigating environmental grief

The creative process shaping the Sable Ocean Dance Project has been as multifaceted as the issue it seeks to address. In the early stages of the project, Mocean Dance assembled a diverse group of collaborators—dancers, sound artists, puppeteers and Mi’kmaw ecologists—to help mould the vision. This collaborative approach brought depth to their exploration of marine debris, allowing for a range of perspectives to shape the work.

Naturally, the emotional weight of the subject matter presented its own challenges. “There’s a sense of overwhelm when you confront the enormity of the crisis,” Mocean Dance reflects. “We’re not experts in marine pollution, but we’re using the arts to create a framework for conversation, for moving through environmental grief together.”

One of the most powerful influences came from Mi’kmaw ecologist Anastasia Nevin, who shared her experience of conducting research on Sable Island. Her sensory recollections of the island—sand shifting in the wind, the scent of salt in the air, the cries of seabirds—became emotional touchstones for the choreography. These visceral elements grounded the movement, tethering the dancers to the physicality of the space and the debris that littered it.

But there was another revelation that shaped the project: the debris itself had to be part of the performance. Mocean Dance quickly realized that the audience needed to see, touch and engage with the ocean’s discarded waste; a traditional theatre setup would not suffice.

“We didn’t want the plastic to be a mere backdrop,” they explain. “It needed to be central to the experience—something the audience could hold in their hands, feel and reflect on.”

Dancing through grief: A dance with debris

With each piece of plastic—whether it was a deflated mylar balloon or a sun-bleached pipe—the dancers found stories. These weren’t just objects lost at sea; they were symbols of happier moments, of childhood parties and functional tools, now transformed into pollutants. The choreography physically intertwines itself with objects that once served a purpose but are now part of the ocean’s suffering. As the dancers moved through the choreography, they also moved through the waves of environmental grief. The project became not just a performance but a space for processing the enormity of the ocean’s plight.

“We’re not here to solve the problem,” they say. “We’re here to help people feel it, to lean into the complexity of it. Through movement, we can make space for those emotions—grief, guilt, hope—and that’s where change begins.”

Recognizing the importance of public engagement, Mocean Dance sought funding under the Canada Council’s Public Outreach grant program. This allowed them to not only create the work but invite audiences into the process at every stage.

“We wanted the audience to feel a connection to the material from the very beginning, not just at the final performance,” Mocean Dance shares. This approach made the audience active participants in the work, encouraging them to confront the reality of ocean debris in a personal, tactile way.

A dialogue with the ocean

This project comes at a crucial moment. As we are currently in the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the Sable Ocean Dance Project is an example of how artists are contributing to the global effort to better “understand and beat marine pollution” and “change humanity’s relationship with the ocean”—two of the UN’s key challenges. For Mocean Dance and the SII, these global objectives mirror their own mission, which is to spark a conversation about ocean plastic and to reframe the way people think about their role in the ocean’s future.

Lucas’s work on Sable Island involves undertaking brand audits of the debris washing ashore and offers a poignant reflection on how interconnected our lives are with the ocean. Every bottle cap, every scrap of plastic tells a story of human consumption. Through the performance, Mocean Dance invites audiences to look at these discarded objects differently, not just as trash but as artifacts of a broken system.

The inclusion of Mi’kmaw knowledge and perspectives throughout the process has been essential. “Indigenous worldviews remind us that the ocean is not a resource to be exploited—it is part of us, something to be respected and cared for,” Mocean Dance explains. By centring these voices, the project aims to mend some of the disconnection between humanity and the natural world, offering a pathway back to a relationship of care and responsibility.

A glimmer of hope in the waves: Looking ahead

As the Sable Ocean Dance Project prepares for its final creation phase in 2024, the team remains focused on one goal: to inspire action. They have already begun sharing the project as a tool for environmental education with local schools and inviting students to engage with the plastic debris, reflecting on their own roles in ocean conservation. The upcoming performances will further deepen public engagement, encouraging audiences to confront the reality of marine pollution and reimagine their relationship with the ocean.

The Sable Ocean Dance Project has sought to include Mi’kmaw knowledge throughout the creative process, drawing on the wisdom of those who have long recognized the ocean’s inherent rights. This approach mirrors the spirit in which the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) is undertaking its Community Engaged Ocean Science in Canada project, which emphasizes the inclusion of Indigenous coastal communities in ocean science research. The CCUNESCO’s project, endorsed by the UN’s Cultural Heritage Framework Programme, explores the importance of integrating cultural heritage and food security considerations within research and conservation efforts. This shared commitment to integrating Indigenous knowledge reflects a broader shift toward reciprocity and respect for the ocean in environmental action.

Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Sable Ocean Dance Project doesn’t aim to provide easy solutions, but rather to create a space for reflection and imagination. “Art has the power to shift perspectives,” says Mocean Dance. “It’s a way to make the abstract tangible, to turn statistics into stories that resonate.”

Ultimately, the Sable Ocean Dance Project is a dance with the ocean itself—alive, powerful and regenerative, yet deeply wounded. Through movement, Mocean Dance allows us to listen to the ocean’s call, to acknowledge the harm we’ve caused and to find our way back to a place of care and connection.

Link to: Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (ccunesco.ca)