DANCE

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), bringing the world’s best to Houston, presents Stomp, as part of the SPA Family Fun Series.  February 12 through 14, in Jones Hall.

STOMP, the international sensation, is making its triumphant return to Houston. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. “After creating new routines for STOMP OUT LOUD in Vegas, [co-creator] Luke Cresswell and I decided it was time to rework elements of our main production, STOMP,” said co-creator Steve McNicholas. “STOMP has evolved a great deal ever since its first incarnation at the Edinburgh Festival. Every reworking has involved losing some pieces and gaining new ones, but has always stayed true to the original premise of the show: to create rhythmic music with instantly recognizable objects, and do it with an eccentric sense of character and humor.”

The changes that can now be seen in the tour of STOMP are the biggest since the late 1990’s. A new piece “Paint Cans” evolved out of the “Boxes” routine in the Las Vegas show and “Donuts” is a piece that implements huge tractor tire inner tubes, worn around the waist on a bungee cord. For many years, the creators had looked for a STOMP equivalent of the Latin percussion instrument the guiro, a gourd-shaped open-ended instrument with ridges along the side that are rubbed by a wooden stick to create its sound. The climactic trashcan sequence “Bins” has been restructured to include a guiro-like new found instrument: strip-lighting recycling containers.

From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past fourteen years, having performed in over 350 cities in 36 countries worldwide. STOMP continues its phenomenal run with the ongoing sell-out Off-Broadway production at New York's Orpheum Theatre, a North American tour, and two productions overseas - a London company and a European tour.

STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of 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. The young performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-creator/director Luke Cresswell. Stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra; Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – trashcans, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, and hubcaps – to fill the stage with compelling and infectious rhythms.

Critics and audiences have raved: “STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday,” says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares “STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” The Los Angeles Times exclaims: “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune.

Special Programs:

6:30 pm, Thursday, February 4, 2010
DrumBREAK and Shadydale Drum Corp. for STOMP
Children's Museum of Houston

STOMP Illiteracy Teens only...win tickets to, and meet the cast of STOMP! The Houston Public Library and Society for the Performing Arts have teamed up to give teens in grades 6-8 and 9-12 a chance to see the opening night of STOMP on Friday, February 12, and meet the cast, by writing about their love of reading.

How to enter: submit a written essay on the topic of "Why reading is important." Must be received by January 25, 2010, at 5 p.m. and be no more than 500 words, double-spaced, and in 12 point font. All teens are invited to participate and help STOMP OUT ILLITERACY!

Eligibility: Area youth grades 6-8 and 9-12

Topic: Why reading is important to you
Length: Up to 500 words
Format: double-spaced, 12 font
Deadline: Monday, January 25, 2010, 5 p.m.
Submit to: Deborah.moore@cityofhouston.net