Every element of STOMP grows in a different way. It can start out as a rhythmic idea, or a visual idea. Sometimes it's just an idea for a specific instrument. We use every means available to us to prepare the work, from rough sketchbooks to computers. Some ideas are storyboarded before they reach the rehearsal stage, whilst others simply involve picking up an object and experimenting with it. The important thing is that, ultimately, each piece has to sit within the broader framework of the show; we have to be aware of the mood the piece creates and find the right place for it in the scheme of things. Some pieces come together very quickly, others take a lot of workshopping with cast members. Once a piece is introduced to the stage, we continue working on it, gauging audience reaction, until it works smoothly within the show as a whole...

Our latest pieces include BASKETBALLS, which actually featured in the first ever Edinburgh show, and were resurrected for STOMP OUT LOUD. We reintroduced them into the New York show a couple of years ago because there were so many good basketball players in the cast and it filtered into the other productions over the course of a year. This summer, however, we rewrote the piece with the European touring cast in Germany, so the other companies have to learn it again!

We also premiered CHAIRS in Germany, and then added it to the West End show shortly afterwards. Chairs were kind of an obvious choice for us, but we'd avoided them because so many other performers use them in other shows... we weren't about to imitate Cabaret or Chicago! Luke went shopping in Habitat and found some metal folding chairs that sounded great: beautiful metallic tones when you play them with your hands... and so we experimented with them: there were a lot of possibilities... We recently used a segment from the piece at the Blue Peter Prom in the Royal Albert Hall to visually demonstrate a Canon! It's created a more formal, classic piece than we normally put together, but we think it sits nicely in the show...

We have a few more instruments we're experimenting with and aim to introduce them into the shows this autumn...