STOMP is Returning to the Moore

STOMP, the international percussion sensation, returns to Seattle's Moore Theatre from December 3rd through 8th. From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation during the past 20 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 24 million people.

Tickets are on sale and are available on-line at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-982-2787. Groups of 10 or more can call 206-315-8054.

STOMP will be at Seattle's Moore Theatre for eight performances. The schedule for the Seattle engagement is:

Tuesday, December 3 7:30pm

Wednesday, December 4 7:30pm

Thursday, December 5 7:30pm
Friday, December 6 8:00pm
Saturday, December 7 2:00pm, 8:00pm

Sunday, December 8 2:00pm, 7:00pm

STOMP, the international percussion sensation celebrated 25 years of performances last year in New York City, and features four global productions: New York's Orpheum Theatre, a permanent London company, and North American and European tours.

Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, STOMP has continued to change by creating new material. The tour just recently debuted two new numbers, 'Suitcases' and 'Poltergeist.' Steve McNicholas said: "'Suitcases' is inspired by almost 30 years of travelling around the world with this show, watching people navigate their way through airports and railway stations with their luggage, and watching baggage handlers stacking, passing and occasionally throwing our cases... couple that with the countless movie moments in which bags are mysteriously switched, and we have the starting point for a new STOMP routine."

He described another new number, 'Poltergeist': "It takes its inspiration from that moment in the movies when everyday objects take to the air and fly around the protagonist. Whether in Fantasia, Mary Poppins or Poltergeist, it's a moment when household items take on a life of their own: given that we do not work with green screens, puppetry or black light, the objects need support from our performers, giving seven of them an opportunity to challenge one drumming Stomper to play what is effectively a floating, constantly changing, choreographed drum kit... with just a pair of corn brushes."

STOMP's overwhelming success has been marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special Stomp Out Loud, noteworthy TV appearances including The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, The Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones), Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and a series of award-winning international commercials. It 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 performers "make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound," says co-founder/director Luke Cresswell. A unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression: both household and industrial objects find new life as musical instruments in the hands of an idiosyncratic band of body percussionists. It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum.

Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra, eight 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 - dustbins, tea chests, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps - to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated.

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.