Interview: Ivan Salazar talks about STOMP

STOMP, the long running hit performance piece creating music and rhythms using matchboxes, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and more in front of the audience. This hit show is a mix of music, and dance to create an audience electrifying theatrical experience.

Playing at the Balboa Theatre March 2nd - March 4th, one of the crazy talented performers making music on stage is Ivan Salazar. Originally from Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, and having performed throughout San Diego and Southern California, his love for movement and music makes him a perfect fit for this inventive show.

So before the rhythm and music starts, here is Ivan with a little bit more about how STOMP came into his life and what the audience can expect from this hit show.

When you talk to people how do you describe STOMP to someone who doesn't know much about it?

Stomp is show about percussion and discovery. We are 8 oddballs that use ordinary objects to make extraordinary music, and in the process we make you laugh, gasp, cheer and take you on wild and unique ride.

How did the opportunity for STOMP come into your life?

I saw the show 10 years ago in San Diego. I fell in love with it. I was just mesmerized and amazed at the talent, the choreography, the musicality, the athleticism, all of it. So I decided I was gonna give it everything I got to be part of it.

I was lucky enough to join Crew, Chris Rubio's San Diego based percussion movement performance troupe, and as a former stomper himself, he had the grace to impart a lot of knowledge to me, and guide and inspire me to fight and reach my goal. I also took up Capoeira to better inform my athleticism, and after 6 years, two auditions, tons of hard work, perseverance and practice, I was able to call myself a stomper.

What is it about the type of performance that you do in STOMP that speaks to you as a performer that makes you want to do it rather than say musical theatre or other types of dance and performance?

We're encouraged to be true to ourselves. Not a script. Not someone else's idea of who we are or what we should be. If we're in Stomp, it's because there's something about it that we identify with on a very personal level. So we start from this place of raw honesty, and get to make the show our own. I believe that's something very special.

What has been the most challenging thing about learning all this show?

The most challenging but ultimately the most rewarding thing I've been able to learn from this show is the psychology behind the performance. How I interact with the people on stage with me and those sitting down watching, is such a thrill and I used to cringe being so exposed, but I look forward to that chemistry and connection, and look forward to engaging with the crowd.

When people walk out of the show at the end of the performance what do you hope they are taking away with them?

Well I hope they leave with a smile and a wider sense of wonder and humor in the world. There's plenty to be thankful for and plenty to laugh at if you take the time and look for it, or just get a little creative. I don't like to take myself too seriously, so I hope an audience can feel some levity as well as interconnectedness with the world around them.

Catch Ivan and the rest of the cast of STOMP at the Balboa Theatre March 2nd - March 4th. For tickets and sow times go to www.broadwaysd.com or go to www.stomponline.com

Photo Credit: Stomp online

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