‘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.