Dance review: Wasteland, Tramway, Glasgow

When the doors closed on collieries across the UK in the 1980s and 90s, the enduring image was of countless miners left without jobs. But, of course, most of those men had families – and the impact on them, financially and emotionally, cannot be underestimated.

Wasteland, Tramway, Glasgow ***

Having grown up in Grimethorpe, choreographer Gary Clarke has vivid childhood memories of the strike that gripped his Yorkshire village. Some of these he poured into Coal in 2014, and now this follow-up work, Wasteland.

Archive film footage of pit closures provides context for the alcohol-soaked ex-miner who stumbles onto the stage, devoid of purpose.

When his teenage son arrives, equally lost, the two men inevitably clash, leading to the most absorbing scene in the show.

With frustration bursting from his very core, the son screams into his mattress, then finds solace in the vibrant new music emanating from his radio – acid house.

As his naked torso snakes and vibrates to the sound, compelling dancer Tom Davis Dunn draws us into his world with an abstract subtlety that elevates Wasteland to another level.

Later, Dunn’s back muscles punctuate the officious reading of a proposed Act to close down illegal raves, and a line-up of smiley face riot shields (designed by the KLF’s Jimmy Couty), astutely blend the miners’ strike and 90s rave culture in one clever moment.

These powerful moments and the excellent score aside, Wasteland takes a largely obvious storytelling route, hyping up the crowd with pounding beats but never reaching its true choreographic potential. - Kelly Apter