By Luke Voogt
Colac male dancer Beau Comelli can’t wait to get in front of a “rowdy” crowd as Manpower returns to Geelong next weekend.
“It’s always a full house,” he said ahead of their performance at the Gateway Hotel on 4 February.
“Last year, I was playing the SWAT officer and this year I’ll be doing the GI routine.”
The former flight attendant has been with the Las Vegas-based Australian group for more than a year.
Performing by its American name, Thunder Down Under toured Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong and Guam in 2016 and recently returned from a tour of the Netherlands.
“It was fantastic,” Comelli said, “when I was with Emirates, I only got to go to Amsterdam once.”
They performed in 10 different cities for hundreds of women travelling the “beautiful” Dutch countryside.
“They’re very proper over there – the women are more of a ‘watching crowd’,” Comelli said.
The 28-year-old came across the group in Las Vegas between jobs.
“I decided to go over to Vegas for a bit of a vacation with my friend Steve Morris, while he was learning the ropes.”
Morris, who had just joined Manpower, invited Comelli to a show. Later, the group’s promoter asked him to get on board.
“I think Steve and Kurt might have hinted to him I had a bit of breakdancing background,” he said.
Before he knew it, he is getting his gear off across the US.
“There are some pretty dedicated fans,” he said.
“We have some girls some tattooing the guys’ names on their bodies or throwing knickers on stage.”
He and the group performed for his parents when he returned to Australia, which was less daunting than he expected.
“They absolutely loved it,” he said.
Soon after, at his first Geelong gig, about 20 of his family and friends showed up.
“It was hilarious,” he said. “My cousin’s about the same age as me.”
“I got ‘Fireman Edward’ to pull his girlfriend up on stage as a bit of a joke.”
Comelli wouldn’t trade his job for any other.
“It’s great, we’re all close mates having a good time and getting to see beautiful parts of the world,” he said.
“You get paid to stay in shape. I didn’t realise how much of a travel bug I still had until I left Emirates.”
Former Gold Coast radio presenter Kurt Joseph will host the Manpower’s return to Geelong.
“It was really energetic last year,” he said.
“We feed off the crowd’s energy – if they’re a bit quiet it’s harder to get in the mood for dancing.”
Thunder from Down Under has won the Best Male Revue in the Best of Las Vegas, making it the best in the world, Joseph said.
The group features men from diverse backgrounds, from tradies to sales executives, he said.
“The number thing is personality – you can teach anyone to dance.”
