Sung Im Her: 1 Degree Celsius at Lowry

The world is one degree warmer than it used to be – what does that feel like on the body? This is the question that drives choreographer Sung Im Her’s 1 Degree Celsius, coming to Lowry this November – an electrifying fusion of movement, sound and light that transforms global anxiety into contemporary dance.

Through her signature, high-voltage choreography, Sung Im Her brings the climate crisis close, transforming it from a distant concept into a visceral live experience. Seven dancers move through shifting states – breathless, mechanical, defiant – as pulsating electronic beats and flickering light trace the planet’s rising temperature. The music itself has been built from real climate data, translated into rhythm and tone, while the lighting design mirrors the Earth’s warming curve. Vital and intelligent, 1 Degree Celsius is both a call to action and a performance tackling an issue that’s impossible to ignore.

At its heart lies a simple question – can art inspire change? Sung Im Her asks audiences to confront the cost of everyday life – the rush to produce, consume, and achieve – and to consider how even the smallest shifts in our habits can make a difference. The title – 1 Degree Celsius – signifies that just one degree marks the tipping point where ecosystems begin to falter. Every gesture, every breath, every choice we make has an impact.

Seoul-born and Brussels-based, Sung Im Her has carved a distinctive voice in international contemporary dance. Her work fuses Eastern and Western influences, precision and chaos, to reveal what it means to live in a world under pressure. With 1 Degree Celsius, she collaborates with lighting designer Young Uk Lee and sound artist Josh Anio Grigg to create a world that feels both futuristic and frighteningly familiar.

Presented as part of Lowry’s bold dance programme, 1 Degree Celsius is performance on the edge – a hypnotic, 50-minute experience that makes the global feel personal. We love performance that has the power to make us think, act and live differently – and this is a work that reminds us that art can shift perspectives, and maybe even the future.