If Northwestern students wonder about the loud banging and incessant stomping they hear across campus this weekend, they’ll find the source in McCormick Auditorium at Norris University Center.

After performing off campus last school year and in Florida for Spring Break, the Boomshaka members are happy to return to campus. The troupe’s sixth annual rhythm and percussion show, “Boomshaka 2004: This Is A Test,” is this weekend.

“There aren’t that many spaces on campus that can fit us,” says Communication junior Emily Levada, co-producer of Boomshaka.

The first ever Boomshaka show was also held in McCormick Auditorium, and Levada says members of the group are glad to be returning to the place where it all started.

The 22-member troupe began as a skit in the annual Waa-Mu Show, using cafeteria trays to make beats and rhythms. The skit evolved into the percussion and dance group that now performs all over the country.

“We explore rhythm in our lives through movement and music,” Levada says.

This year’s show incorporates new visual and sound technology with the traditional music and dance elements of a Boomshaka show. The group purchased new equipment with a grant from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts.

For showtimes and prices for Boomshaka’s homecoming show check “Center Stage” on page 6. 

— Nicole L. Joseph