NEW YORK CITY – The Producers of the Off Broadway sensation ”STOMP” is reinvigorating the 20 year old show with fresh new talent. The additions to one of the longest running dance theatre and musical productions will bring new energy to the show strengthening what is already one of the most renowned and powerful performances on the New York City stage.
“STOMP” has become a part of the New York City landscape at the historical Orpheum Theatre. It is a small 299-seat Off-Broadway Theatre on Second Avenue near the corner of St. Marks Place in the East Village neighborhood of lower Manhattan. The show has been a part of the Theatre’s headlines for over 20 years and it is a main tourist attraction for visitors and local residents that are drawn to New York for its vibrant arts and entertainment.
Next season, the powerful and talented casts of “STOMP” will include the Tap Girl of Florida, Kayla Cowart. A native of St. Petersburg-Clearwater, her first public performance was at the age of 6, in a local community dance theatre project “The Chocolate Nutcracker.” A passionate and powerful 18 year old that has been dancing since the early age of 2, Cowart trained as a novice across genres at Patricia Ann Dance Studios in Dunedin. She is skilled in jazz, lyrical, ballet, and contemporary; however, the young dancer has always been partial to hip hop and extremely motivated by tap.
Cowart exploded on the national tap dance industry two years ago and this Floridian dancer has already gotten some attention on the circuit. As a part of her training she has participated in annual master workshops and has taken advanced classes with some of Tap Legends’, such as Avi Miller and Ofer Ben and Ted Louis Levy. She has also taken instruction from some of the industry’s Masters which include Professor Robert L. Reed, Anthony LoCascio, Derrick Grant, Jason Samuels Smith, Sarah Reich, Chloe Arnold and Maud Arnold and Michelle Dorrance who also performed with the rhythmic cast of “STOMP.”
The Ambassador of Florida’s Tap, Cowart pioneered the National Tap Dance Project in 2015 to help Florida’s trending tap dance industry gain more visibility on the national tap dance circuit. It’s a deceptively difficult spotlight when competing with well-known tap masters and established seasoned dancers in cities that are more notable for its creative arts and vibrate entertainment industry, but Cowart believes that her role in the New York cast and experiences from the “STOMP” performances will help to further her cause and reach her goals to put Florida on the map of the national tap dance tour.
Long gone are the days of Cowart’s pink tutus and classical music. She is all about the rhythm and ethnic dance with exciting music, authentic patter and urban flair. Her southern swagger premiers star talent, but in real life this tap dancer and percussionist sports a quick wit, mischievous musicality and a clownish sense of humour with a humble laid back charm.
Cowart is a great edition to the powerful cast and the show itself is the perfect fit for her musicality, character and style. “STOMP” is the event that unites dance, comedy and music into a theatrical whirlwind you’ll never forget. Matchboxes, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and more fill the stage with energizing beats at “STOMP.” From its humble beginnings in 1991, it has grown into a national phenomenon that has the world dancing to its beat.
Floridians will want to catch this show in New York this season and during the 2016-17 national tour as the Tap Girl of Florida takes the stage with energizing beats at “STOMP,” the inventive and invigorating show that blends dance, music and theatrical performance together in one electrifying performance with Florida’s rhythm.
To catch Florida’s rhythm live in New York, you can get information on tickets and a schedule for the “STOMP” American Tour online at www.stomponline.com.
