Fat Man Dancing

A solo piece by Andreas Storm

“When I was four years old, my sister moved out and left me her record collection. I’ve been obsessed with records and music ever since. When I was 8, I persuaded my mum to buy me *Pyramid* by the Alan Parsons Project. Just because of the cover. A record with a COVER LIKE THAT simply couldn’t be any good! I listened to nothing but that record. I made up choreographies to go with it and performed them for my mum. As a sort of sweet deal, really. In my socks, in the living room, in front of the wall unit. I still remember those choreographies today. And then I thought: I could still dance them 50 years later. And the audience would be my mum.”

Drawing on his own life story, the performer Andreas Storm – who, in his own words, is “overweight, asthmatic and fast approaching 60” – reflects on the personal and societal attempts to escape so-called reality for hours on end through the institution ‘club’ – and at the same time to find his true self. What does it mean to listen to music and move to it? Is it an almost religious experience – or simply embarrassing? And is there a difference?

‘A fat man dancing? It’s funny for five minutes.” F.M.

“Put on your red shoes and dance the blues”. D.B.

An evening about rituals on the dancefloor, about the hopes, promises and humiliations that await us all the moment we start moving. Mentally and physically. Hashtags: asthma, self-hatred, junk-food belly, intoxication, self-empowerment rubbish fuelled by the tool of pity, murderers on the dancefloor, Blood on the Dancefloor, becoming queer on the dancefloor, grief, the worst song in the world, camp, and that DJane, and saving a life last night.

‘There should always be music, whatever you’re doing!’ (Absolute Giganten)

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Artistic Direction & Performance Andreas Storm
Direction Johanna Böckli
Lighting Patrick Hunka
Live Sound tba
Production Mirage Productions
Co-production Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik Zurich
Supported by City of Zurich Culture, Ernst Göhner Foundation, Heinrich Hössli Foundation, Migros Culture Percentage

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Duration: approx. 70 minutes