LUKE CRESSWELL Self-taught percussionist, one time member of Britain's leading busking/cabaret musical group Pookiesnackenburger. He also starred in the British Channel Four TV series of the same name. Now writes music extensively for TV. His session work as a percussionist and programmer includes Beats International, Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Bryan Ferry and Freak Power. With Steve McNicholas, he has directed the film links for the 1994 "Billboard Music Awards" and three Target commercials in the US.
	STEVE McNICHOLAS worked as an actor/musician/writer with Cliff Hanger Theatre Co., 7:84, Covent Garden Community Theatre, Pookiesnackenburger and the Flying Pickets. TV work includes Rowan Atkinson's "Mr. Bean," various soundtrack work (with Luke Cresswell) and the Yes/No video percussion series for ITV (as director). He shares directorial credits with Luke Cresswell on STOMP-based short films and commercials.

They first worked together in 1981, as members of the street band Pookiesnackenburger and the theatre group, Cliff Hanger. Together, these groups presented a series of street comedy musicals at the Edinburgh Festival throughout the early '80s. After two albums, a UK TV series and extensive touring throughout Europe, Pookiesnackenburger also produced the highly acclaimed "Bins" commercial for Heineken Lager. The piece was originally written and choreographed by Luke as part of the band's stage show: it proved to be the starting point for STOMP's climactic dustbin dance.

Luke and Steve formed Yes/No People in 1986, which began as a "dance band with taste, thrills, humanity and a sense of humour" (Melody Maker), but soon began to branch out into other areas. Together they went on to compose and perform the internationally award-winning theme to Channel Four's late night music program "Wired," the opening sequence to Kevin Godley's global project, "One World One Voice," and an eight minute "percussive movie" for Bette Midler's "Mondo Beyondo." A single, "The Adventures of Mr. Johnson," was released in 1988.

Between 1987 and 1990, Luke staged, as artistic and musical director, four large scale outdoor events including "Beat the Clyde," which involved floating a drum orchestra on a pontoon in the center of Glasgow; the largest of these events, the "Heineken Hove Lagoon Show," involved a hundred and twenty piece drum orchestra featuring the Brighton Festival Chorus and a full orchestral string section.

In 1991 Yes/No People produced and directed a series of eight percussive video shorts for inclusion in the UK ITV network environmental issues program "A Beetle Called Derek."

They also went on to produce, finance and direct STOMP which previewed at London's Bloomsbury Theatre and premiered at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became the Guardian's "Critic's Choice" and won the Daily Express "Best of the Fringe" award.

The following year STOMP toured Australia, where it won the Adelaide "Best of the Fringe" award, and also enjoyed successful runs at the Montreal Comedy Festival, London's Royal Court Theatre and at the Barcelona Olympic, Galway, Aarhus and Belfast Festivals. Both the Brighton and the Newcastle Dance Umbrella Festivals commissioned a specially extended version of STOMP, using 15 local people as extra performers. This led to both the "Most Outstanding Contribution to the Festival" and the "Most Innovative Work" awards in Brighton.

1992 also saw more award winning commercials for JACCS credit card (Japan) and Apples (Australia), which won the Silver Lion at the Cannes Festival. Their advertising work continued with 1993's "Ice Pick" commercial for Coca-Cola. All of these commercials were choreographed by Luke and performed by members of the STOMP cast, with the soundtrack composed and recorded by Yes/No People.

1993 saw a return to Melbourne, Australia with a limited run of a specially created large scale show using 30 extra local performers, and performances by the main group in Hong Kong, Dublin, Boston MA, Italy, France, Canada and the UK.

STOMP began it's run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York, after a sell-out run at Sadler's Wells in London's West End, in February '94. The show is still running in New York with an all American cast. STOMP was nominated for "Best Entertainment" in the 1994 Olivier awards, going on to win the "Best Choreography" Olivier, an Obie and a Drama Desk Award for "Most Unique Theatre Experience."

More recently the cast of STOMP recorded music for the "Tank Girl" movie soundtrack and will appear on the forthcoming Quincy Jones album "Q's Jook Joint." They were also featured in a series of three commercials directed by Steve and Luke for Target stores (which won "Best Campaign of the Year" at the RAA awards). The New York cast currently appears in the "Mr. Frear's Ears" series of short films created for Nickelodeon, whilst "Brooms," a twelve minute short featuring members of both casts, premiered in London.

In September of 1995, the original cast, after sell-out tours across The States and in Japan, performed an expanded version of the show in the open air amphitheater at The Acropolis in Athens.