The Home Depot Homer Bucket is known for being versatile: from acting as a fishing pail to serving as a makeshift basket. Recently, a dance instructor just outside of Boston found a totally new and unexpected use for this “all-purpose” bucket – as a prop in a tap dance routine.
Noa Barankin, a choreographer based in Tewksbury, Mass., has a history of bringing creativity to her routines. “When I start on a new project, I don’t always know where it’s going to end up,” said Noa. “It’s all about taking risks – trying new things and seeing where they will lead you.”
So when she was brainstorming ideas for her next tap dance, she knew she wanted to do something truly unique.
What led her to the Homer Buckets? It’s simple, really: she knew the orange would “pop” on stage. Plus, they could double as drums – adding a layer of percussion to the routine.
From there, the “cleaning” theme was a natural progression. She started going to her local Home Depot to experiment – taking items off shelves and banging them to see what kinds of noises they would make on stage. “The associates at the store were baffled by me,” said Noa. “But once they figured out what I was up to, they were eager to help.”
Her dance students took a little warming up to the idea, too. “They were appalled by the toilet brush, at first, but they came around!”
In the end, this was a risk that totally paid off for Noa and her team. The routine competed multiple times, snagging more than one first place award and fourth place overall at a national competition in Pennsylvania.
Watch the full routine, “Clean it Up” here:
Special thanks to Dance Expressions and Backstage Performing Arts for photos of the performance.
