STOMP THE YARD 2: HOMECOMING

US, 2010, 82 minutes. Colour.
Keith David, Columbus Short, Pooch Hall, Collins Pennie.
Directed by Rob Hardy.

Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming is a very quick, small-budget follow-up to the original film which was quite successful. It is one of the many films about step and street dancing, energetic dancing that gave rise to a number of films including the Step Up series.

This film is set in an African American world, a neighbourhood, where no white people can be seen. This determines the audience for the film, fans of the original as well as those who enjoy African American stories.

In its brief running time, the film offers quite a number of dance routines, especially in the final competition. It has a structure following a series of days when the hero, played by Collins Pennie, wants some money to pay off his gambling debt, wants money for a scholarship to college, clashes with his widowed father who runs a restaurant. He is eventually rebuked by his father and his friends for his self-centredness – although there is a final reconciliation between father and son. The film also shows the hero’s relationship with his friends, especially those on the team, with DJ Williams (Columbus Short from the original film) and from his girlfriend.

The film is as expected, a portrait of young people who live in the neighbourhood, are trying to better themselves, enjoy this kind of dancing and competitiveness. It is probably a film of its time, reflecting attitudes towards music and dance around 2010. The film received generally negative reviews.