Poland!

Hey Everyone,

You all know the result of the audition so that doesn’t leave me much to write about this week. But with that sort of result, it was certainly a well worth trip!

Like I said in the email, the director, Jacek Prybylowicz, liked my work from the audition, and at the moment I have pole position for a job in 2011/2012 season. However, (damn that word!) he still has to see a couple of dancers from Denmark as well as all the graduating Polish dancers before he can decide whom to hire. He said that I would receive a definite yes or no in April.

We also discussed the all important salary. Jacek said that the first year is always a hard one and the salary wouldn't be much. Probably around 500 euros a month. In Polish zloty, that is enough to live on, just. But Jacek said that he was looking into finding and subsidizing some accommodation which would mean that you would be able to have a life. Also, if you perform a demi-soloist role more than twice in a month, you get a bonus fee for each additional performance. As all the performances are cast by the choreographers/rehearsal directors who come to set the works the potential to make some money is there.

As for dancing, they do a lot! Their repertoire is mainly ballet, but they also do some modern works as well. They don't do much touring, but they are trying to do more and they have a tour to Spain planned at the end of 2011. You can check out the company's website through this link

As a city Poznan was full of pleasant surprises. It’s a medium sized city that has a calm chilled-out feel to it. It has several large universities there and also has a lot of trade running through it. Unlike Tbilisi or London it doesn’t feel rushed, over-crowded or messy. The buses and trams are a bit old, but are in good working order. The roads are free of pot holes and the streets aren't full of feral cats and dogs. The people are especially friendly and helpful. At the airport I met this Polish lady who spoke English and she helped me by my bus ticket as well as walking me to the street my hostel was on. (God was just making sure I didn't do anything stupid.) The staff at the hostel were all spoke perfect English, so I was set.

I met an English guy at the hostel who has been living in Poznan for the last three years. He met his fiancé there a while back and has been living there ever since. He told me that he absolutely loved Poznan in the summer because it was hot (relatively) and the whole city really came alive. He also said that he loved the city because it had everything that you needed, but was still a very livable place. The fact that he had been in the city for three years was a very encouraging sign. If he can live and thrive there I'm sure I can.

Of course I took some photos that can be viewed at the usual place. Not too many this time, but there are some nice ones.

So in conclusion, if they offered me a job I would be very tempted to take it. Getting the visa would be awkward but doable. If I got the job, then they would start the application process. I would leave London as planned in May or April and go back home where I would have to do a butt load of work to be able to buy a plane ticket back to Poland. While back in Australia I would be able to sort out all the visa stuff in Canberra. It would be messy but possible.

That's all the news from me for this week. I'll keep you posted on how things go.

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Waiting.....

Hey Everyone,

It's been another quiet week in London town. I've just been working and slotting in the odd class where I can. This week is going to be a lot busier. I have an audition for a cruise ship lined up on Thursday and on Friday I leave for Poland to audition there. I'm planning on doing classes all this week in the lead up to these auditions so it's going to be a busier week.

You'll remember last week that I was doing some work at the London Coliseum while English National Ballet were performing Rudolf Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet. I got through the last couple of shifts with out any major dramas and managed to snap up a couple of free tickets to the show. A very nice bonus. The performance was very technically sharp but the whole thing felt a bit flat. It was a matinee and about the eighth performance so I can completely understand lack of energy. I can't say that I was a big fan of Nueyev's choreography. It was obviously done, mainly for himself and it shows in the unusually intricate male steps. It also shows in the volume of dancing for the men. Backstage, the joke is that the ballet is actually called Romeo and Mercutio due to the amount of work they have to do. However, it was a nice afternoon out and definitely worth the price of the ticket.

But by far, the biggest news this week has been watching the floods rush through Brisbane. I've been watching the news with a fascinated horror as all these images of rushing muddy water come into the media. Fortunately my family has been unaffected by the flood. Redcliffe is a very safe spot close to the ocean and our house sits on particularly high ground. Dad didn't allow anyone to leave the peninsular the day of the floods and so everyone is home safe. My Mum speaks of the ocean turning a dark brown from all the rubbish and mud that the flood waters have brought with them.

The weirdest thing has been seeing all the fund raising efforts going on here. I was working at an event the other day and they where holding a raffle with the profits going to the Brisbane Floods. Usually that sort of thing is for the catastrophic disasters in third world countries. It's a bit weird when you hear them talking about your home!

Anyway, I've got to go to class now so I'll leave you, and next week, there will be another round of audition stories to tell.

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser