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

Irony...

G'day World,

Another week and another audition can be officially dropped in the trash. I got an email from English National Ballet the other day saying that they could not offer me a contract for the 2011/2012 season.

There was a bit of irony rubbed into it this time. I've not had much work lately due to January being a quiet month. So when I got a call asking me to work front of house at the London Coliseum I jumped at it. It wasn't until later that I realized that I was working on English National Ballet's opening night of Romeo and Juliet! As this was before I knew what was the outcome of my audition, it was going to be a bit of awkward situation because I knew that I would be serving the top brass of ENB including Wayne Eagling, the artistic director! I didn't want to knock back the job because I'm desperate for cash at the moment. Also they probably wouldn't even recognize me because I would be in uniform and out of context. As long as I kept my mouth shut and blended into the background, I should be ok.

Work night came and all went relatively smoothly. It was kind of cool to be in that atmosphere and hear the artistic brass discussing versions of Romeo and Juliet, comparing dancers and debating over choreographers. The only kind of weird point came late in the evening when my boss, Carole, asked me what else I do with my life. I told her the truth which did surprise her a bit. Further conversation led me to telling her that I had auditioned for ENB and was waiting for a reply. The evening continued and Carole was fussing around trying to figure out how much wine the guests had consumed in order to send the bill to a 'Sarah'. I asked her if that was Sarah Malin. This was because all the emails I send to ENB generally end up on Sarah's desk and I was curious to see what she looked like. In a moment where I thought my heart would freeze up, Sarah Malin who was standing on the other side of the bar turned asked what where we discussing that involved her name! 'My sainted aunt's anticlockwise propeller!!' was all I could think! Fortunately, Carole came to my rescue, saving me from dying of embarrassment brought on by an acute case of 'Foot in Mouth' disease. Carole told my story for me and it turns out that they are really good friends. Plus, Sarah was in a really good humour brought on by a couple of glasses of wine. She said that she would look through the files and get back to me.

As you know, the resulting email was a 'No'. Oh well, at least that door is firmly closed now, but just to rub salt into the wound Carole has asked for me to work at the Coliseum not once, but twice next week. "Just think of the money Rodney, just think of the money...."

On a more serious note, as a result of that audition I probably won't be in England for much longer. My visa is running out at the end of May which is going to make it very difficult to find any dance work. If I'm not dancing, I'm just doing crummy jobs at minimum wage just to survive. I would be much happier, and probably much better of if I just went back home. However, there a couple of auditions I want to do first. Poland is coming up at the end of the month and that is where my focus is at the moment. Following that is an unconfirmed audition for Boston Ballet in February which I want to do, even if just for kicks and giggles.

So that's my moment of embarrassment for the week. Hope you enjoyed and I'll be back next week.

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Happy New Year

Greetings readers,

Welcome to the new year! Hope you all had a good time welcoming in 2011. My New Year's was one of the quietest on record. I just stayed at home, played computer games, skyped the family and watched movies. I did consider going into town and taking some photos, but then I considered the crowds, the bloated public transport and the general chaos. Staying at home was definitely the better option in this case I concluded.

Anyway, you'll all be wondering how the audition of English National Ballet went! I did class with the company on the London Coliseum stage last Wednesday. The stage is wide and the floor had a lot of bounce in it. Definitely an awesome venue. Class was short sweet and crowded; the standard sort of thing for company classes. I was one of three boys who they were auditioning that day. My nerves where very awake, but eventually I was able to settle down into a rhythm and enjoyed it. After the class, Wayne Eagling came up to me and asked if I would be able to come to class the next day. Of course I said yes, and spent the rest of the day chilling out and fighting nerves.

The next day class was at the English National Ballet's studios in Kensington. Wayne Ealging was taking the boy's class that I was to join. So yeah, there was just a little bit of pressure! Half way through Mania Geilgud walked in and started watching! This woman is incredibly famous in the ballet word. In a previous life, she even was director of the Australian Ballet. That was a dream come true right there, because I never thought that would be good enough to have her watching me in class. Despite the pressure and nerves, I felt as if I had a good class, and actually really enjoyed it. Taking class with a high class company like that always inspires me to work. The technical standards of the company are very impressive and definitely give you something to aspire to.

However, down to the bottom line. Wayne Eagling came up to me after class, said that he would be having a conference with his secretary and the ballet staff when they where all back from holidays and would let me know. So its a case of don't call us, we will call you. Situation normal. I'll give it until the end of this week, and if I don't hear from them, I'm going to write it off.

Even if I don't hear anything back from that audition, I'm really glad to have done it. It was one of the major things I wanted to do while here and now I can know definitely if God has shut that door or not.

I've spent the last couple of days organizing my trip to Poznan in Poland for the next audition. I got some cheap flights and accommodation and it's going to be a good short trip.

Having said that, these auditions are not going to be cheap and work has dried right up. I think this January, I'm effectively going 'all in'. I've got my flight back to Australia booked and paid for so that's my 'get out of jail free card'. If nothing comes of Peter Schaufuss, English National Ballet, Poznan Theatre or the upcoming Bostson Ballet audition, I will be more than ready to go back to Australia. With my visa running out in May, there won't be any point in staying here. All I would be doing is waiting tables, random class and being incredibly bored. I would much rather be back in Australia where I can at least start rebuilding my life with a decent lifestyle and nice weather.

Having this live or die strategy is rather terrifying. Actively choosing a path that probably will end in failure is not for the faint of heart. Just walking out in blind faith like this is definitely one of the most scary things I've done. Praying does help though and I've been doing more than the normal amount of that lately. I believe that God is in the midst of my decisions and whatever the outcome it will be for my good and God's glory. At least with this way, I'll definitely know where God wants me to be for the next bit of my life.

So that's the plan for the start of 2011; get by till mid February and see what happens. If nothing does, its definitely time to pull the plug and go back home.

That's all my news for this week. Hopefully, life will chuck something up this week for me to write about next time.

Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser