Damian Callinan @ Empire Theatre at RCC, Adelaide 12/3/2018
The premise of Swing Man is Damian Callinan suffering from OTTDS (Over The Top Dance Syndrome). He is sent on a quest after being abducted by aliens, to learn how to swing dance and in turn teach them, or risk being probed!
Callinan uses the show as a memoir through the decades of his life from fights at a bush-dance, to a time of unrequited love. The humour was relatable to most in the audience, with many smiling and nodding in agreement.
He interacts with the audience and improvises and bounces off even the most non-obliging audience member to create a laugh so they ultimately give in and take part of the show.
Callinan uses a great selection of tracks and his dancing with his fantastic dance partner, Jeanne-Clare Storace. Together they demonstrate a number of different dance styles with effortless form – Charleston, Bush-dance, 80s – a complete gamut across the decades. Even for a non-dance enthusiast with two left feet such as myself, I could appreciate the skill and effort.
The show I attended had a group in the audience from a dance school, Swing Out Adelaide, who were invited at the end of the show to join in on the dancing, inspiring the audience to take up swing classes.
The posters and promotional do not give this show enough credit as this was not what I expected and exceeded my expectations with Callinan’s high energy, quick wit, and most importantly – dancing ability.
Fringe Review by Ilona Schultz
For more info and tickets to Damian Callinan’s “Swing Man” head to https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/damian-callinan-swing-man-af2018