Bible vs ballet

Having one vocation in a lifetime can be challenging enough. What to do when you have two?
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The Australian Ballet’s Ella Havelka and Jake Mangakahia in Warumuk, photo by Jeff Busby.

Having achieved a major life goal, such as joining The Australian Ballet’s corps de ballet, there aren’t many people who would then turn around and ask for two years off in order to follow another passion. But that’s exactly what dancer Jake Mangakahia did, in order to honour his commitment to his faith.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts