Amazon.com
At its core,
Stomp the Yard is a romantic drama disguised as a dance film. Or is it the other way around? DJ (Columbus Short) is a troubled teen from Los Angeles who gets a chance for a better life when he is admitted into Atlanta's privileged Truth University. Just when he thought he had escaped a life of gangs, DJ finds himself in the middle of a "war" between two upper-crust fraternities where stepping (a popular dance form) is their weapon of choice. When DJ realises the girl he falls for is the girlfriend of the school's champion stepper, he joins the rival fraternity to try show her--and himself--that he's as good as anyone else there.
Stomp the Yard is not the most original film. Add some drums and you've got
Drumline. Change some of the characters around and you've got
Save the Last Dance. What sets the movie apart is the stepping. The precision involved at this level is impressively complicated and Short--a dancer and choreographer--is beautifully expressive both as an actor and a dancer. Sure the plot is predictable and hokey at times, but Short and Meagan Good (as his crush April) have wonderful chemistry together, and the supporting cast--including Harry J. Lennix as DJ's no-nonsense uncle--are delightful to watch.
--Jae-Ha Kim
Synopsis
What is the difference between a gang and a team? DJ Williams (Columbus Short) is forced to confront this question, along with the usual post-adolescent romantic and family conflicts, when his well-meaning uncle (Harry Lennix) enrolls him at his Atlanta alma mater, Truth University. His enrolment is part of a plea bargain that will save him from being imprisoned, and it is also a last resort to rescue him from the LA gang life that has already claimed his beloved brother. An avid and remarkably gifted hip-hop dancer, DJ is quickly solicited by two fraternities who want to make use of his skills on their respective step teams. DJ resists at first, equating fraternities and stepping as stultifying, upper-class activities. Eventually DJ warms to the underdog fraternity and, with his amazing krumping, clowning, and breaking, transforms the team. More importantly, the team transforms him, providing a creative outlet and a character-building support network that help cushion the blows life keeps dealing. While the drama incorporates many overly familiar themes and subplots, the main hook is the spectacular step dancing, shot in a dynamic, quick-cut style that emphasizes the muscularity, inventiveness, and stirring teamwork required. The final quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King drives home the film's message: 'Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education'.
![Stomp The Yard [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519D1Y9S0gL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Stomp - Live [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bb4OUso-L._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Turn it Up [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oijo%2BChvL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Make It Happen [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FXnyvGfvL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![You Got Served [DVD] [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rIuYXTfPL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Marques Houston
![Drumline [2002] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZRG04DEZL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Nick Cannon
![How She Move [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51D9nyLXrfL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Rutina Wesley
![Turn it Up [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oijo%2BChvL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Ethan Stiefel
![Honey [DVD] [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MEAWZY3YL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Jessica Alba
