Stomp (stylized as ''STOMP'') is a percussion group, originating in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, England, that uses the body and ordinary objects to create a
physical theatre
Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. Although several performance theatre disciplines are often described as "physical theatre," the genre's characteristic aspe ...
performance using rhythms, acrobatics and pantomime.
History and performances
1990–98
Stomp was created by
Steve McNicholas and
Luke Cresswell
Luke Cresswell (born 1 October 1963) is a co-creator (along with Steve McNicholas) of the dance percussion act Stomp. He is a self-taught percussionist and one-time member of British busking/cabaret musical group Pookiesnackenburger. Stomp is ...
in 1991. The performers use a variety of everyday objects as percussion instruments in their shows.
Cresswell and McNicholas first worked together in 1981 as members of the street band
Pookiesnackenburger
Yes/No People were a British band which recorded on London Records, and which featured Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, and now are best known for their dance theatre performance pieces called '' Stomp''.
Pookiesnackenburger
Yes/No People gre ...
and the theatre group Cliff Hanger. Together, these groups presented a series of street comedy musicals at the
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
throughout the early 1980s. After two albums, a TV series and extensive touring throughout Europe, Pookiesnackenburger also produced the "Bins" commercial for
Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Febr ...
lager. The piece was originally written and choreographed as part of the band's stage show.
In 1986, Cresswell formed the Urban Warriors, a 'junkpercussion duo' with Benjamin Frederick Tin, a Liverpool drummer also based in Brighton. Cresswell later said, "Two of us would do street work, beating the hell out of each other with sticks and armour made out of bits of metal." The Urban Warriors appeared on the 1986 children's television show ''
No.73'' and ''
the Tube'' with Jools Holland. Their performance on ''No.73'' can b
seen on YouTube Tin also appeared in the Heineken advert, playing a drum solo on dustbin lids.
Between 1987 and 1990, Cresswell directed and staged four large-scale outdoor events, including "Beat the Clyde", which involved floating a drum orchestra on a pontoon in the centre of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
; The largest of these events, the "Heineken Hove Lagoon Show", involved a 120 piece drum orchestra featuring the
Brighton Festival Chorus and a full orchestral string section.
In the summer of 1991, Cresswell and McNicholas produced, financed, and directed the original ''Stomp'' show, previewing at London's
Bloomsbury Theatre
The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 547 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, come ...
and premiering at the
Assembly Rooms
In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th century Britain, 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done ...
in Edinburgh, where it became ''
the Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' "Critic's Choice" and won ''
the Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'' "Best of the Fringe" award. Originally a seven-piece (with Luke Cresswell, Theseus Gerard, Fraser Morrison, Carl Smith, Nick Dwyer, David Olrod and Sarah Eddy), Stomp grew to be an eight-person outfit with the addition of Fiona Wilkes in the autumn of '91.
Between 1991 and 1994, the original cast of Stomp played to capacity audiences around the world. The touring culminated in a season at
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...
in London in January 1994, where Stomp received an
Olivier
Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to:
* Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Olivier (surname), a list of people
* Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery
*Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...
nomination for the "
Best Entertainment Award" and won "Best Choreography Award in a West End show". Also, in 1993, they performed in an advertisement for apples for the Australian Horticultural Corporation.
Stomp began its run at the
Orpheum Theatre in New York City in February 1994 winning an
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
and a
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
for Most Unique Theatre Experience. By the summer of 1994, the first American cast was in place at the Orpheum, freeing the original cast for a tour of North America and Japan.
An extended version of Stomp, involving up to 30 cast members, was originally created for the
Brighton Festival
Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engla ...
and was subsequently presented in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. It was most recently seen in September 1995 in an open-air production at the
Acropolis
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
in Athens and at the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
in London.
In October 1995, Stomp appeared on an episode of ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debut ...
''.
One by one, the entire cast was interviewed by
Space Ghost
Space Ghost (Tad Ghostal) is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in the 1960s for TV network CBS. He was designed by Alex Toth.
In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his teen sidekicks, Jan and Jace, ...
on the
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
television sitcom ''
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animation, adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast t ...
'' and appeared on ''
Reading Rainbow
''Reading Rainbow'' is an American educational children's television series that originally aired on PBS and afterwards PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 3 ...
'' in 1996.
The cast cameoed on the seventh season of ''
Mad About You
''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...
'', Season 7, Episode 5, "The Silent Show," 10 November 1998.
2000–present
Stomp performed at the
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...
at the Millennium celebrations of US President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. During 2000, a ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'' special "Let's Make Music", a collaboration between Stomp and
the Muppets
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
, was released on TV and video in North America.
Cresswell and McNicholas began production of their
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
film, ''
Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey'', in Brazil during
Carnaval
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
2000 and completed it in the summer of 2002. ''Pulse'' features an international cast, with performances from
Kodo __NOTOC__
Kodo may refer to:
Japan
* ''Kōdō'' (香道), ceremonial appreciation of incense
* Nippon Kodo (日本香堂), an incense company
* Kodō (taiko group) (鼓童), a ''taiko'' drumming group
* Kodo-kai (弘道会), a yakuza criminal orga ...
,
Timbalada
Timbalada is an Afro-Brazilian musician group from Candeal, Salvador, Brazil. It was founded by drummer Carlinhos Brown, and the composer and percussionist Tony Mola . The musical style is between samba reggae and axé, with strong influenc ...
and
Eva Yerbabuena
Eva María Garrido García, known professionally as Eva Yerbabuena, is a Spanish flamenco dancer. She formed her own dance company in 1998Sanjoy Roy"Step-by-step guide to dance: Eva Yerbabuena. By injecting traditional moves with bold theatrical ...
. It was released in the fall of 2002 and won two awards at
La Geode's film festival in Paris the following year. In 2004 it received the ultimate IMAX Award for Best Film at the GSTA in Montreal. Pulse is still playing in IMAX cinemas worldwide.
In September 2002, Stomp entered London's
West End at the
Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...
, and later that year performed as part of the
Royal Variety Show
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
for the second time.
In 2003, a
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital, originally synonymous with Dolby AC-3, is the name for what has now become a family of audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. Formerly named Dolby Stereo Digital until 1995, the audio compression is lossy ...
trailer featuring Stomp performances debuted in cinemas worldwide, and the following year an Emmy nominated sequence was created for
ABC Sports
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
coverage of the
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...
.
In 2006, Stomp's New York production passed its 5000th performance mark. In the same year, Cresswell and McNicholas directed a public service announcement for television called "Stomp Out Litter", which featured the cast "sweeping up" at iconic locations in the five boroughs. They also began filming an IMAX 3D movie about South Africa's
Sardine run
The KwaZulu-Natal sardine run of southern Africa occurs from May through July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard ''Sardinops sagax'' – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northwar ...
, released in early 2008.
In addition, they were commissioned to create and produce ''
Pandemonium: the Lost and Found Orchestra'', which takes the ideas behind Stomp to a symphonic level, in celebration of 40 years of the
Brighton Festival
Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engla ...
. The LFO subsequently performed at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
as part of the
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...
early in 2007 and at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The show was reworked and renamed for a US tour in 2010: ''
Pandemonium: the Lost and Found Orchestra''.
In 2007, ''Stomp Out Loud'' opened in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
at
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl En ...
Resort & Casino with an expanded cast and performed inside a theatre specifically created for the production.
In August 2012, Stomp contributed to the musical segment of the
2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as A Symphony of British Music, was held on 12 August 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London. The chief guest was Prince Harry of Wales representing Queen Elizabeth II. The clo ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
"
The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2" is the tenth episode of the eleventh season of ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie ...
'' televised on
FXX
FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...
, 19 March 2016. It is the season finale and the conclusion from the previous episode "
The Gang Goes to Hell." The gang is locked in the brig of a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
chartered cruise ship for their various crimes and offences to other passengers and begin using their bodies and contents of the brig to create a rhythmic production in the style of Stomp.
In October 2017, the show’s creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, announced that the London show would end its 15-year run in January 2018 but were quoted in an article in ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' as stating that "its closure would not mark the end of Stomp in London."
[The Stage https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2017/stomp-to-close-in-west-end-after-15-years/]
In July 2019, Stomp was the subject of the
US sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
''. When his uncle dies and leaves him with a large inheritance,
Stan Smith
Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946) is an American former professional tennis player. Smith is best known to non-tennis players as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles cham ...
goes against his family's wishes for a trip to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and uses the money to buy the rights to the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical ''Stomp'' instead.
Stomp were unable to perform in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
See also
* ''
Stomp Out Loud ''Stomp Out Loud'' is a 1997 musical film produced by HBO that featured the Brighton, UK, and Manhattan-based dance troupe known as Stomp. The film is 44 minutes long and provides footage from the Broadway performances as well as scenes shot solely ...
''
* ''
Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey''
*
List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on ''Billboard magazine's'' Dance Club Songs chart. ''Billboard'' began ranking dance music on the week ending October 26, 1974, and this is the standard music popularity chart in t ...
*
''Cookin
*
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in 1987. It was purchased in July 2017 by the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil. Blue Man Group is known for its stage productions, which incorporate many kinds of music and art, bot ...
*
GEAR
A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic pr ...
References
External links
Stomp OnlineStomp International Site
Percussion ensembles
Dance companies in the United Kingdom
Culture in Brighton and Hove
1991 establishments in the United Kingdom
{{authority control