EVERYONE knows of comedians who started out as lawyers or musicians.
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For instance, there's Shaun Micallef and John Cleese in Column A.
And there's Tripod and Bill Bailey in Column B.
Not many comedians start out as world class dancers.
But that's the career switch Sean Choolburra has pulled off.
Choolburra toured the world performing with the Bangarra Dance Company, including by invitation for the Dalai Lama, Hale and Pace, and Prince Charles.
"The weird thing was, when I was 10 years old, a friend in Townsville said 'you should be a comedian'," Choolburra said.
The pair had grown up watching comedians such as Richard Pryor, Dave Allen, Benny Hill, The Goodies and Eddie Murphy.
More entertainment:
"Years later I was in Sydney studying dance, but every day I had to walk past the Sydney Comedy Store on Parramatta Road," Choolburra said.
And every day he'd look inside and dream of doing a stand-up gig.
"Finally, at the ripe old age of 33, 17 years ago, I finally walked in to the Comedy Store and watched them do their set, five minutes each on an open mic.
"And I thought, man, this is easy, because I'm very comfortable on the stage. I'd already toured the world dancing on stages."
Pretty soon, the former kid from Townsville who would make his young mates laugh by spinning colourful yarns was on stage making adults laugh, too.
Choolburra said he got his big break after appearing on the NRL Footy Show. One joke, in particular, brought the house down.
"I had no agent, no manager, so I just sent them a letter and video, and they put me on the show," he said.
The Footy Show special guest that night was writer, comedian and TV host Clive James.
Choolburra walked on and told his 'Where did Kung Fu come from?' joke. [You'll find it online.]
The response was immediate.
"Channel Nine said they'd never seen anything like it since Graham Kennedy," he said. (Remember Kennedy's infamous crow routine?)
"And Clive James loved it. He gave me a rap."
Choolburra had arrived.
Fast forward to now, and Choolburra is set to perform alongside Cal Wilson, Blake Freeman, Daniel Connell and Dave Callan at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow which will play at Newcastle's Civic Theatre from June 7 to 9.
There are performances at 8pm on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets cost $55.
The Lakes Mail has two double passes to give away to readers. The tickets are for the performance on Friday, June 7.
For your chance to win, send an email to: info@lakesmail.com.au by midday this Friday, June 7.
Put the words 'Comedy Roadshow' in the subject line.
Include your name, address and daytime phone number in the body of the email, along with your answer to this question: Which martial art featured in Sean Choolburra's break-out joke on The Footy Show?
Winners will be notified by phone on Friday afternoon.
To book tickets, phone the theatre on 4929 1977 or visit civictheatrenewcastle.com.au