“Stomp” returns with a mighty bang, bringing Justin Myles, the guru of masterful moves, back to his hometown. The worldwide hit that originated with street performers in the U.K. has continually evolved over the past 15 years with chin-dropping routines to alarm parents of active, inquisitive children. But it’s all in good fun. Myles, a native of Silver Spring and graduate of his mother’s Gracie’s Guys and Gals Dance Studio in Mechanicsville, Md., spent his childhood learning every dance step in the books and performing in all the Beltway Plaza Christmas shows. He added guitar, drums, bass and piano to his repertoire before attending Point Park University in Pittsburgh, where he majored in ballet and jazz and put together a band.
‘Stomp’
| On stage |
| Where: Warner Theatre |
| When: 8 p.m. through Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $37 to $57, 800-551-7328, ticketmaster.com or livenation.com |
After graduation, he performed in the off-Broadway show “Tap Dogs” and at Paramount’s Kings Dominion, Pittsburgh Playhouse Dance Company and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg before joining Disney Cruise Lines as a singer/dancer and dance captain.
During high school, he became obsessed with “Stomp” after seeing it on a friend’s DVD, so when he returned home from a cruise and discovered a clipping his mother had put aside for him announcing an audition for the show, he knew his destiny.
Today, Myles’ life revolves around touring with “Stomp” from Canada to South America and inventing new routines utilizing drums, brooms, sticks, poles, pots, pans, trash cans and just about anything that makes a noise. He has discovered that people in Mexico love slapstick, folks in Canada sit on their hands too mesmerized to clap and D.C. audiences are blown away each time the show comes to town.
“When the show came out 15 years ago, it was basically about drumming,” he said. “Over the years, it has added new talent, and new routines performed each night by eight from our cast of 12. We move nonstop during the show, so we have to watch ourselves, be on our toes and practice every day an hour before it begins.
“This time around we’ve added new routines, one using paint cans that we toss about while music plays. Several years ago, I got hit in the head and another friend had a black eye, but we perfected the act. It’s a cool display, especially when we double up. In other routines, we rattle buckets that sound like snare drums and tie tractor tire inner tubes around our waists and beat them with taiko drums from Japan in different rhythms. The sound is thunderous.
“At this show, everyone onstage has as much fun as the audience does.”
