BIOS

Brian Michael Flanagan began moving with a sexy rhythm in utero.  Because of his natural Irish decent, he has been endowed with some blessings in his life which include a passion for dance, a love of starchy potatoes, and an admiration for three-colored flags (which makes up for other areas of his life for which he is less endowed, and about which he does not like to talk about).  After his record-breaking, northern solo tour that went as far west as Audubon Pawn & Pay to the far eastern reaches of the Ely VFW came to an abrupt end due to hip dysplasia and a broken down 1987 sky-blue Plymouth Duster, “I’m Comin’, Danc-esota” proved to be Young Flanagan’s swan song.  Driven to see that no other sex-symbol/dance-phenom would go through the pain, heartache, and low credit rating that he experienced, Brian enrolled in Columbia University’s School of Chronic Pelvic Pain Disorder to learn to help other try-curious Timberlake’s that were trotting the globe.  Upon hearing about the comical death of Kelly Wells, Brian decided the world deserved to feel his LICK! one more time, and agreed to let Minnesota and the Southern Theater welcome him one more time for the Fringe Festival.  In recognition of Kelly’s death, Brian would like to dedicate this performance, as he does with all his performances, to himself.  “To put it briefly, if you are seeing me dance for you today, you’re lucky, and you’re welcome.”

Bobby Gardner started dancing at a very young age.  He enjoyed the comfort and freedom his Superman dungarees allowed him.  On a cold December day in 1985, Bobby vowed that he would never again be held down by the shackles of OshKoshBiGosh and would forever move through his life sans outerwear.  Since 2005, Bobby has been working with Dungaree creating an adult sized, dance friendy Superman underwear so he, along with all of the other exhibitionists out there, can finally stop wearing those dingy, poo-stained Tighty Whities.  Bobby is very excited to be back at the Fringe Festival, mostly because he has a healthy infatuation with Fringe Artistic Director Robin Gillette.  Hopefully, because of the festival, he can get special permission from the courts to be within 500 feet of her.

Patrick Kozicky’s road to LICK! was long and hard.  His parents always told him he was destined for greatness.  “Patrick, we had you, so you could financially support us later in life,” they often told him.  Failure was not an option.  Patrick fell in love with theater, and the dramatic arts after seeing a stage show at his local Chuck E. Cheese.  “Someday, I’ll be as good as that mouse,” he told his parents.  At the age of 11 he wrote, directed and stared in the staged story of his life:  I Like Meatloaf and Rainbows.  Against the wishes of his teachers, friends, and family, he continued to write and star in shows, such as, Me, Myself and My Talent,  and the one man version of Beaches.  Patrick’s parents sent him to baseball camp when he was 16.  “We’re hoping to develop other talents…ones that don’t get you beat up so often,” they told him.  That was the year Patrick learned a little about baseball, and a lot about love.  His experiences at baseball camp would later inspire him to write Getting to Third Base.  He took this show on a county wide tour.  Some would call his tour a failure…others would call it a learning experience.  Patrick called it destiny.  It was during this tour, that he had his first exposure to LICK!.  After seeing the group perform, he was filled with a strange feeling in his soul and in his pants.  He knew then and there that this was what he was meant to do.  He quit his show, and devoted his life to dancing.  He trained and trained, hoping and hoping that some day he would be a part of LICK!.  As luck would have it, Kelly Wells died.  Patrick auditioned to be his replacement and the rest is history.  The level of talent and dance-pectations of LICK! keep Patrick on his toes.  He is confident that one day, LICK! will start paying him.  Patrick would like to dedicate his performance at this year’s MN Fringe Festival to his family, friends, pets, and Michelle Obama.

Ben Thietje received his formal dance training by watching “Club MTV” and “VH1 Dance Machine” when he was a youth growing up in New Prague, Minnesota.  At the tender age of 14, Ben choreographed his first full-length dance piece to “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters and it received a standing ovation at the Summerfest Church Camp.  By 2001, he had presented over a dozen solo works at various festivals in and around southern Minnesota, including Dozinky Days, Kolacky Days, Pork Dayz, and the Gaylord Old-Timey Car Show.  Ben joined LICK! in 2002 and began experimenting with a new type of dance that incorporated rhythm, sexiness and extreme facial expressions, which he called Everlasting Rhythmania.  He is also owner/operator of The Clap Snap Gap in the Mall of America and teaches private rhythm lessons to dancers of all ages and skill levels.  Ben lives with his two pot belly pigs — Amy Swinehouse and Mrs. Snoutfire — and enjoys crossword puzzles.