Stomp the Yard is being compared to Drumline, but with college fraternities and sororities stepping and dancing instead of college bands marching.
DJ (Columbus Short) of Los Angeles and his crew of dancers battle and win a dance battle filled with Krumping, a new form of hip-hop dancing. Victory turns into sorrow as the losers of the competition seek violent revenge on DJ and his dance crew. The two groups battle it out in a scuffle until DJ’s college-bound brother, played by Chris Brown, lies lifeless on the ground from a single gunshot wound.
The death of his brother lands DJ in Atlanta with his aunt and uncle who help him get into the prominent Truth University. Immediately he finds himself infatuated by the beautiful April (Meagan Good), and wedged between two rival fraternity step groups: Mu Gamma Xi and Theta Nu Theta.
After a breathtaking dance performance at a local club, DJ is approached by both frats. Both teams feel that DJ would be a huge advantage to them in winning the National Stepping Competition. Stepping, which involves stomps, claps and slaps with startling beats and synchrony, does not appeal to DJ. His response to the fraternities’ offers is: “I don’t step, I battle.”
DJ is clueless to the tradition and the importance of fraternities until April encourages him to visit Heritage Hall. When he visits Heritage Hall, he is exposed to great people such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ester Rolle and Michael Jordan, to name just a few. All these people were and are a part of fraternities and sororities and have made great accomplishments for humanity.
At this point in the film, DJ realizes that fraternities are not about stepping but about brotherhood, and so he decides to join Theta Nu Theta to help his brothers take home the stepping championship from seven-time winners and rivals, Mu Gamma Xi. At this point in the film, everything becomes predictable.
As viewers know, there must be some type of climax with a setback or major problem before the film reaches its grand finale. Director Sylvain White manages to make frenetic dance routines compelling and mind-boggling. At the same time, viewers can anticipate what’s next in the scene of events. While the story feels overly familiar and contains few surprises, it really does not matter to movie viewers who like to see a lot of entertainment filled with dancing. This film deserves applause for its all-star cast and high intensity. This film is reminiscent of “Drumline,” though, and this questions the creative juices of directors. Are old ideas from previous films with an added twist enough for the movie industry, or have the creative juices hit a major drought?