TOMISLAV ENGLISH
I started on the YDA in 2005, when I was 13. It was the CAT scheme's pilot year and there were only around 20 of us all together. It really opened my eyes into the possibilities that existed for people wanting to go into dance as a profession, and provided me with a real outlet for my creativity. The teachers and choreographers were really some of the best in the world, and I can still remember the steps to the first solo I ever created, for the first end of year show. I stayed on the YDA for 3 years, until I was old enough to audition for vocational dance schools, and got into The Rambert School at 16. I spent almost 2 years there, before transferring to London Contemporary Dance School, which I felt was more relevant to the type of dancer that I wanted to develop into.
During the final year of my degree at LCDS I began auditioning for companies, and was offered a contract with Punchdrunk, who I have been performing with since June in the National Theatre collaboration 'The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable' at Temple Studios in London, directed by Felix Barrett. At just 22 I am the youngest member of the company by some margin, but feel that it pays testament to the high quality of the pre-vocational training on the YDA that I have managed to achieve so much, and have worked with so many inspirational people, at such a tender age.
Tomislav recently made the transition from professional dancer to actor after performing with Temple Studios for the past 18 months, when he joined the principal cast of Warner Brother's upcoming film 'Pan', which is directed by Joe Wright, with choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company). It stars Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara and Amanda Seyfried and is due out in 2015.