Over the past three weeks the company has been working with the Australian Ballet. Maybe you've seen the posters, no? Anyway, it's been a pretty exhilarating experience so far, not least because, with a company of about seventy, I still feel like I'm meeting new people every day. I'm a bit envious of the fact that AB can chuck on a completely different cast of dancers, especially when the Melburnian thermometer is hitting thirty-three, we had a first and second cast run-through of Rites and I don't have an assigned understudy, though I was allowed to take it easy the second time around, it would have been preferable to sit it out and not sweat out litres of perspiration.

And then I had to run off and understudy one of the other Bangarra dancers in the new work!

I guess having too much to do is more preferable to not having anything at all.

But certainly the highlight AB experience is Wednesday night bowling, a regular event for a group of the ballet dancers. It's especially good when you win as well, albeit less from having a sizeable amount of bowling ability and more from everyone else having a few bevvies and losing a bit of concentration for the second round (or whatever you call ten bowling frames).

I'm loving spending so much time in Melbourne. I really do love the place, it just seems to be easier to do things here (except going out, the idea of cabbing it there and back to Commercial Road just puts me off having big nights out). Not to mention getting stuck in an apartment with a view over the port, that gets regularly serviced and is just down the road from work. Hard life.

Indidentally, I'm blogging this from Sydney, visiting JPB for the weekend. The fact that it's Mardi Gras weekend is a mere coincidence...

Tags: Dance, Bangarra, Australian Ballet, Melbourne.