The percussion act STOMP, which makes music out of the most unlikely objects of everyday use, arrives in Macao tonight. Dara Wang met the team in the lead-up to the show.

STOMP is a group of multicultural performers who make music from objects of everyday use. Their act, which has been touring around the world for the last 25 years, combines dance, percussion and physical comedy, striking an instant rapport with the audience without speaking a word. Once the drumming begins, you will just get swept into the mood, never knowing what has hit you.

Following a sell-out series of shows in the Chinese mainland this summer, STOMP arrives tonight at the Venetian Theater in Macao. The eight-person act is about tapping the musical potential of the most unlikely objects. Garbage bins, brooms, hubcaps, trolleys, matchboxes, kitchen sinks - just about anything would serve their purpose. With a little manipulation, STOMP has turned household articles into a set of musical instruments, creating a veritable orchestra. When they start playing, it's difficult not to get swayed by the catchy rhythm and start tapping one's toes.

STOMP explores musicality of daily use objects like broom and engages the audience with physical comedy. Photos provided to China Daily

Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas created the show back in 1991. They were buskers in Brighton, England. And then they discovered the musicality of objects of daily use and incorporated these into their street performance act, which was the beginning of STOMP. "We change the idea of playing music through the use of second-hand things in our life," said Cresswell.

He recalled STOMP had gotten popular overnight after their debut, although the fandom was restricted only to their immediate circle at the outset. It was only after they got to perform in an off Broadway show in New York in 1994 that they got wider attention. It was a turning point in their career. Audiences sat up and took notice of the arrival of a new genre of music on the scene.

Performers stroke broomsticks to make the catchy rhythm.

The format of the show - music, followed by dance and comedy - has not changed much over the years, but each performance is different from the next one because of the improvisations they make on stage. These impromptu additions, like catching an audience member's eye and holding the gaze as if they were old friends, usually inspire fits of laughter.

Cresswell says water serves as a vital element in their performance. "By adjusting the amount of water in a container, such as the kitchen sink, the tune will change," he remarks. This is where science and comedy come together, much to the delight of the audience, who are pleasantly surprised when the difference in tonalities issuing out of the same instrument is presented in the form of a comic act.

Luke Cresswell (first right, second row) with six performers brings a percussion act where science and comedy come together to delight the audience.

Inspiring the young

The ribbed figure of Omari Carter appears on the promotional posters of the show in Macao. He told China Daily how being a part of STOMP turned out to be a life-changing experience for him.

He used to be a hip-hop dancer before he joined the group. "I had little knowledge of the rhythms of other kinds of music," Carter said. "I have been learning on the show. Now I can tell the difference between various musical genres and know how to blend all of these together to create something new."

The co-founder of STOMP Luke Cresswell says they keep recruiting performers in their 20s and welcome more young people to join.

Even after five years at STOMP, Carter feels there is always something new for him to explore as he performs with the group.

"We are encouraged to bring our own personality to the performance. We can even choose the costume by ourselves, provided we follow a general guideline," Carter said. They wear regular everyday clothes while performing, the sort young people hanging out on the streets of an English town might. It's a show that allows them to be themselves on stage, and that, says Carter, is the secret of its youthful and energetic vibe which has sustained across two decades.

Carter and another young performer Alexandria Bradley were both fans of STOMP well before joining the team. Bradley still remembers the magical moment of watching a STOMP performance in her childhood, and how "incredible" the experience had seemed.

STOMP seems to make an instant connection with the children who watch them in action. Carter recalled on one occasion many students from a primary school in London cried after watching them perform. Once the show was over they went home and tried sounding out household objects to tap their musical potential.

Cresswell said they usually recruited performers in the 20s, to ensure the energy level is kept high. Going by that notion, STOMP is 25 years young and is likely to remain so through the next 25 and more.

Contact the writer at dara@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 09/23/2016 page8)