‘Stomp’
from Dance St. Louis reminds us of the magic that
dance can bring to ordinary things
By
Steve Russell
Special to
www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
‘Stomp’ might be called the ‘People’s Dance Show.’
That’s because it reminds us that there is—or can be
or should be—a ‘grace’ and music in life from even
the most ordinary things.
For
those who haven’t seem ‘Stomp’, perhaps the best way
to describe it is to take a look at your world
through different eyes, and you’ll see that the guy
pushing a broom, the garbage cans, and just about
anything else can be made into a percussion
instrument that, when coupled with high energy dance
moves, is an art form as much as tap, traditional
ballet or other forms of dance.
And
therein lies the gift of perception that Dance St.
Louis brought to The Fabulous Fox Theater when
‘Stomp’ returned.
This is not a ‘play’ with a high degree of
interaction with the audience. It is not even like
the dance interpretations of ‘Movin’ Out’, which
tells the story of growing up—and old and sadder and
wiser—to the music of Billy Joel.
It does not require too much of a stretch of the
imagination to believe that ‘Stomp’ is actually a
return to basic, primal roots in which a beat of a
drum or some other musical instrument which likely
derived from something as ordinary as common tools.
Significantly, ‘Stomp’ has been at the forefront of
a splurge of shows and movies in which dance is
returned to all of us. Consider all the dance
movies in which teens ‘find themselves,’ or the more
recent movie ‘Stomp The Yard’.
It’s easy to see why ‘Stomp’ has been such a
success. It’s been an
overwhelming success marked by rave reviews,
numerous awards, and sell-out engagements, winning
an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London's
Tony Award), a New York Obie Award, a Drama Desk
Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special
Citation from Best Plays.
But
at its base, it is truly a people’s show. Dance St.
Louis deserves a big pat on the back for avoiding
the temptation to limit the role of dance to highly
restrictive, carefully designed formats. By
presenting ‘Stomp’, it has reminded us of the grace
and dignity of even the most mundane things, and
that’s a good model for all of us to follow in all
aspects of our lives.