HAVING recently been announced as one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, Barnsley’s Gary Clarke Company returned to the town’s streets with its dance theatre show.
Wasteland - the sequel to the critically acclaimed COAL - tells the story of hundreds of coal miners at Grimethorpe Colliery, the community where Gary Clarke grew up was destroyed.
The dance production followed the next generation into a 90s illegal rave scene, where derelict warehouses and abandoned work spaces became home for a new-found community of music and dance.
Gary Clarke Company has been working closely with Barnsley Council to develop The Wasteland Town Trails - a programme of live performance activity to animate Barnsley town centre.
On Wednesday five dancers performed dance sections from Wasteland in the Glass Works’ public square.
Gary Clarke told the Chronicle: “Growing up in Grimethorpe, a place with very little arts provision, I have experienced first-hand the monumental impact and transformational change dance can have on people.
“I believe it is my duty as a working-class artist to make marginalised communities visible on professional stages, exploring their stories and lived experiences to create authentic work.”
