To get his licence Paul had to take his new Suzuki GSX 250 and meet the motorcycle instructor.

"To tell you the truth, at first I was scared shitless!" Paul had to ride into the city of Perth with the instructor following. After a while the instructor pulled him over and asked what work he did. When Paul replied he was a ballet dancer the instructor said that explained Paul's sense of balance and smooth style and rhythm on the bike.

In 1981 Paul left Fremantle to live in Melbourne then later Sydney. During this period Paul was 'bikeless'. The bikeless period ended in a funny way.

"I bought a second-hand car and on a whim drove it with a mate to Melbourne." The car stayed in his friend's driveway for the next two years until it was removed by a wrecker.

"Cars are hopeless--I bought a second-hand Suzuki GS 1000 F."

Paul admits at times there has been pressure not to ride. Sometimes it has even been in his employment contract.

He tells with humour how he sold his bike to help buy a flat in Sydney with his partner Andrea. "But four days prior to our first baby's scheduled birth I went out and bought another bike, a GSXR 1100, because I thought I may not be able to get another one. Ten days later, the baby still hadn't arrived so I took Andrea for a ride. The baby was born that night!"

There are many dimensions to Paul's enjoyment of his bike: the ride to the nearby shop, taking his eldest daughter to school, the thrill of the bike's speed.

"Carving out the corners on your bike--you don't need to be the boy-racer."

As a professional dancer you would expect Paul to be particularly concerned about the dangers of riding.

"No way," Paul replies. "You can get hurt crossing the road. Riding my bike is poetry in motion. It's one of my life's pleasures."

He quotes from Strictly Ballroom, "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."