In the name of charity, Seamus Evans a few weeks ago revived something he thought he’d left behind.
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“I had retired my back flip many years ago, but I took it out of retirement for the dance,” he said.
“The dance” is of course the Stars of the Border Dance for Cancer gala on Friday night at Albury Entertainment Centre.
Mr Evans will present a street Latin and breakdancing routine with dance teacher Carly Campbell, joining 12 other couples in the NSW Cancer Council fundraiser.
The $65,000 target has already been reached and 541 tickets sold for the grand finale.
But not all has gone well with that back flip.
“It looks like after my hospital trip I have to put it back in retirement,” Mr Evans said.
A torn abdominal muscle has forced the Border radio announcer to modify ideas for his routine, with a head spin also discarded.
“Every time I did it, my neck would hurt for days, so I’m like, ‘All right, it’s not worth it, I’m not doing it,” he said.
But between the ages of about 10 and 16 years, Mr Evans, once known as B Boy Shame-star (yes, really), was a keen breakdancer, joining a local club in Brisbane.
“It was actually Mum’s way of taking me away from getting up to more mischief,” he said.
“I’ve always been a bit of a show-off and in breakdancing you’re the only one in the centre of the dance floor and everyone’s watching you.
“I never really did it to compete, I moreso did it for fun and to be impressive at school dances.”
But for anyone thinking perhaps this prior experience has given him a Dance for Cancer advantage, “my body definitely cannot do that kind of stuff now”.
And Mr Evans isn’t yet back to full strength either.
“I’ve just been going really easy, I’ve been stretching, just trying a few different things and seeing how my stomach goes, but I will be OK for the night,” he said.
His fundraising has been helped by a Get Wiggy Wit It Pub Crawl last month that raised $1800 alone.
“We had a few spare wigs, we recruited people on the spot,” he said.
Mr Evans saw his radio co-host Riley-Rose Harper take part in last year’s Stars of the Border and thought it both fun and a good cause.
“I’ve never been part of something like that,” he said.
“It’s just really rewarding being a part of something, working together to achieve a good result.”
Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm start to the gala night, which includes a $20 lucky dip, Murray Riverina Jazz Orchestra and a performance from Chicago.
The People’s Choice Award will be based on donations made to the couples at the event.
