STOMP makes some noise at Vilar 

STOMP set foot on stages in 1994 in New York City, and since then it has brought its urban rhythms to theaters throughout the world, in more than 50 countries. 

While a dozen performers make up the overall cast, eight take the stage each night. They use the most common items as percussive instruments, from brooms and garbage cans to Zippo lighters, matchboxes and suitcases. The show fuses dance, music, comedy and theatrics into one mesmerizing, rhythmic show. 

This weekend’s performances at the Vilar Performing Arts Center feature two new routines. Although both debuted in STOMP in 2019, the cast has not visited VPAC since incorporating the new pieces.  

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“Our intimate theater, with its incredible acoustics, is the perfect venue to experience the adventure of STOMP,” said Cameron Morgan, VPAC’s executive director.  

One new segment employs up to 20 suitcases, as the dancers and musicians throw the containers up in the air, slam them shut and otherwise find ways to create rhythm. Mozzy, which translates into “mosquito,” or pest, adds comedy throughout STOMP; in this case, he’s desperately searching for his suitcase, which happens to sport travel stickers, among a plethora of other suitcases flying around. 

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The second new piece, called “Poltergeist,” features such household objects as a lasagna pan, bucket, pipe and kettle. Sarge, a lead role in STOMP, must compose music out of the mayhem. 

“It becomes this beautiful ensemble,” said Jasmine Joyner, who studied dance all her life, earned her bachelor’s in dance from SUNY Fredonia and has been performing in STOMP for seven years.  

Though Joyner had intended to become a commercial dancer in Los Angeles, when she saw a poster for STOMP auditions, she was intrigued. Now, she appreciates how the production has taught her to become a more well-rounded performer, learning more than just dance. 

“I understood rhythm, but the challenge was that it was harder to play using my hands and not just my body,” she said. “Now, I’m able to be a musician and a dancer — and I can be hired as a drummer.” 

Each performer comes to STOMP with different strengths, or areas of expertise. Actors learn from dancers who learn from musicians, and so on. Comedy also plays a big role, as Mozzy interferes with his cohorts’ steps — another technique Joyner had to master. 

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“He messes up our steps in a funny way, and we play as we were annoyed by it. It was a learning curve to be messed up … to train your brain to go back to what you were doing,” she said. 

The cast draws the audience into the rhythm through call-and-response clapping and other interaction.

“They basically go through the show with us and make music as we go along, and the comedy of the show is easy to draw people in,” she said. “You can expect really good, high-intense energy. You can expect it to be very loud, but it can be soothing — and it’s very funny.”