![]() It's cool to dumb yourself down, to fit in by being ignorant and not be well-spoken. No one wants to work for anything anymore. Everything is about what's now and here, in the moment. Short: I hope that some kids will see this and - you know, we're in an MTV generation. We see the character go from tragedy to triumph.ĪP: There's more going on besides music and dancing. He's the kid who's not supposed to make it. Short: DJ sets out to fulfill his promise to his mother to go to college. but he gets into trouble and ends up enrolling in classes in Atlanta. I was more excited about doing that aspect of the project than doing the dance in it.ĪP: In the beginning of the film, DJ didn't have plans to go to college. It's bringing something that's been going on for so long to the light. And it's taken that long to get people talking about it. Short: There's 100 years behind the organization, the black fraternity, in the film. What set this apart was that there's a bigger message here. At this point in Hollywood, there are about two dance films a year. Was that what made you want to play DJ Williams? Lots of music and inspiring moves on-screen. He talked with the Associated Press about what he learned filming "Stomp the Yard."ĪP: This is a dance film first and foremost. Short has a theater background and spent years on Broadway - he toured with "Stomp," the tap dancing smash hit - and was a choreographer for Britney Spears among other pop stars. And in 2002 "Drumline" focused on black college marching band competitions.īut "Stomp the Yard" touches more on black heritage than either film, which appealed to the lead actor, Columbus Short. In 1988, Spike Lee delved into tensions surrounding economic class and skin color on historically black campuses in "School Daze," which included stepping. He added that the elaborate stomping and clapping of stepping - or step dancing - must be performed in unison, which builds bonds between fraternity brothers. "I want people who see this film to know the incredible scope and impact that these organizations have had." "That's probably my favorite scene in the movie," said Will Packer, the producer, who filmed "Stomp the Yard" mostly at Atlanta's Morris Brown College, founded in 1885 by freed slaves. In a pivotal scene, the lead character, DJ Williams, who is struggling to find his place on campus, is shown learning about how black Greek organizations helped educate and nurture some of the nation's heroes, such as civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
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