Dancing at the coal face
Sat 25 Nov 2017Coal, originally created by choreographer Gary Clarke to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1984/85 miners’ strike, takes a look at the realities of mining life which is both hard-hitting and nostalgic. For renowned choreographer Gary, it was a very personal project: “Coal is a response to my upbringing in the mining village of Grimethorpe. It’s about trying to capture a time in British history that seems to be being forgotten. It’s an attempt to keep memories of the mining industry and the miners’ strike alive in the public consciousness because I believe that what happened in the 1980’s shaped the future of this country not only for the economy but for the fabric of our society and the arts too. It’s not really a political show, nor is it meant to be provocative. It’s deeply deeply personal, and I just wanted to share how it felt to live through these times. How it felt then, and how it feels now as the pain, loss and division linger on in our stranded communities.”
Photo by Joe Armitage
Perhaps because of his personal connection to the subject, Gary was determined that those former coal mining communities should be a part of the project, not just its subject: each performance of the work features a local brass band quintet and four women from the local community, alongside seven professional performers. Gary says: “Those communities are at the heart of this piece, just as they were at the heart of the mining industry. I wanted very much to celebrate them, and to proudly create a piece of contemporary dance that is properly working class. I also wanted to try to capture some of the gritty realities of working down the mines – the confinement, the risks and the pressures, and choreographically I wanted to explore vocabularies of labour and effort. I’ve attempted to keep one specific objective in mind throughout – very simply to try to help an audience feel how it was to be there.”
There can be little doubt of the impact Coal has on audiences, with The Stage calling it as a “visceral piece of physical theatre recalling the shattering impact of the pit closures in the 1980s”. The Times described it as, “an absorbing, immediate slice of history rendered with the kind of emotional truth that deepens its impact”, while the British Theatre Guide felt is was “unquestionably beautiful.”
Coal: Thursday 8 February