Boomshaka Rocks!

Out of the darkness comes the beat, a rhythmic tapping of body against surface. Then the lights go up and figures emerge from the fog. Guys, dressed in black and seated in a row, strum hard on plastic buckets. A row of girls in white tank tops and black pants move in to fill in the stage. Their ponytails flick as their tap shoes submit to the beat. The crowd roars as more than 20 figures become perfectly synchronized to form one, pulsating unit: Boomshaka.

Boomshaka is a Northwestern University-based performance group that uses ordinary objects -- everything from garbage cans, water jugs, and wooden poles to their own bodies -- to create rhythm. Some reviewers compare it to "Stomp," a professional show that also uses everyday objects as alternatives to percussive instruments. Others see similarities to "Blue Man Group" because of they both incorporate unique -- sometimes bordering on bizarre -- interpretive pieces.

But Boomshaka's members say there aren't any clear parallels. "We try to redefine every year," says Lauren Nagel-Werd, Boomshaka's 20-year-old director. "It's a reflection of its members."

Boomshaka was started in 1998 at Northwestern's Evanston, Illinois campus by Josh Berner and Jade Smalls, both of whom were undergraduate students and members in the school marching band at the time. When a student variety show requested a "Stomp"-like piece, Berner and Smalls were quick to respond. Their performance, featuring cafeteria trays as instruments, became one of the most popular acts. Berner and Smalls had so much fun with the production that they created an independent group that now sells out shows and travels across America. But fun was not all there was to it. In the years since it began, the mission behind Boomshaka has evolved to include community involvement, the promotion of diversity and an educational component, as well.

The beat goes on: Boomshaka 2003

Today's Boomshaka boasts 21 cast members, four directors and a slew of production and crew teams. The students couldn't be more different, save for their common love of rhythm. With academic majors ranging from psychology to speech pathology and hometowns as distant as Dallas and New York City, each member brings a unique perspective to the group. Together they raise money, find their own venues and write all of their own material.

Second-year Boomshaka member Nicole Pellegrino says that when she and her fellow performers develop pieces, they try to involve many cultures and lifestyles. She says it's important for them to be inclusive of all people, despite the reputation Northwestern sometimes gets as a school for upper-class, Caucasian students.

"We've had African-based pieces, tangos and belly-dancing," says Pellegrino, 20, of Munster, Indiana, "We try to integrate everything and show how it's part of our everyday lives." Their latest show, "It's Time to Get Up," featured pieces set in everyday locations such as bars, classrooms and laundromats.

Pellegrino believes that much of the group's strength comes from the relationships behind the group. Boomshaka members are close and have had to work together under a number of circumstances. When her directors tell her to be prepared for constant flux (one commonly repeated phrase is "we can tell you what [Boomshaka]'s been, but we can't tell you what it is now,") she says they're not kidding. Pellegrino says she never knows what to expect from Boomshaka shows, recalling one specific Evanston show:

"We were off-campus at a YMCA. We performed with a broken table and the building flooded. Down the street, we heard someone had gotten shot. But performing was incredible."

Infusing Kids with Rhythm

Acting on the message that rhythm is part of everyone's lives, Boomshaka performs in a number of off-campus venues, including Chicago-area elementary schools. Performing in schools allows Boomshaka to fill a void that may not have been present a decade ago: lack of music education in schools.