Intercultural club Kappa Iota Theta will be presenting Stomp Fest, with the theme “Evolve,” Nov. 20 at 9 p.m.
This will be Stomp Fest’s fifth year on campus and the competition is already heating up, according to a member of Sigma Iota Delta, last year’s winner of Stomp Fest.
“My favorite part of stomp is the competition,” said Drew Watson, a senior. “People get really into it and the rumors that get started about the groups are really funny.”
The rumors Watson is referring to are about everything from a group’s theme to what music is being used. Besides friendly rivalries, the competition brings group members closer together.
“It is a really good time to get closer with the group you are with,” said Kaela Pennington, a member of Phi Sigma. “It is smaller than Singarama, so everyone has to put in equal amounts of work for something great to come together. It is a side of Lipscomb that isn’t really showcased, and allows a different type of talent to come out.”
The competition sets social clubs and other Lipscomb groups against one another to be judged on theme, step intricacy, music, and dance numbers. Each group only has ten minutes for their whole routine, which sometimes includes an introduction video.
“It’s so much fun because we come up with our own themes, costumes, dances, chants, stomps, etc. and it really gives everyone an opportunity to contribute something,” said Virginia Jackson, a member of Phi Sigma. “For Singarama we are paired with other groups, and so Stomp Fest is the one time of year that we get to perform for our club and work together to show off what we have created.”
Stomp Fest comes from the tradition of step, a dance that uses sounds with footsteps, clapping, and chants that originated from African-American sororities and fraternities in the early 1900s.
“This show is expressing where Lipscomb is headed as a university,” said Lauren King, a member of Pi Delta. “Rather than being stuck, we are moving forward and involving multiple cultures and personalities through events such as Stomp Fest. ”
Photo from Lipscomb.com