Conversations with Creators: Meet 'Graham Warrior' Tomislav Nevistić

“I want to share Graham technique because it transformed my whole life and myself as a dancer,” says dancer and choreographer Tomislav Nevistić. “If I can pass it on to other generations, I think it'd be amazing.” As a Croatian native and New York based choreographer and Graham teacher, Nevistić's mission is to inspire and educate dancers and artists from all backgrounds while expressing his own ideas and perspectives through his work. Nevistić was selected by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Sonja Kostić as one of the artists for the Spring Baryshnikov Artist in Residence program. During this residency, he choreographed and performed in the theatrical dance performance The Story, with the solo from this work showcased at both the PMT and Dance Astoria festivals. Nevistić's work has garnered attention from a variety of media outlets in both the US and Croatia, including Jutarnji List, Broadway World, Theatre Scene Net, The Lifestyle Republic, Nacional, Plesna Scena, and Bljesak.info. He also appeared on CBS News New York with Cindy Hsu to discuss his play BrOKen.

Where did you interest in dance and the arts originally come from?

I started dancing very early on in life. I was four years old in kindergarten when I took a rhythmic gymnastics class and I loved it. I was like, “Mom, I want to do this.” And ever since then, I continued going to dance classes and was drawn to dance. I remember specifically watching Sylvie Guillem performing Cinderella on TV. And I was like, “Oh, my God, this is amazing. I want to do this.” The funny thing is, I never did ballet until I was much older. But when I saw the video of Guillem, I knew I wanted to dance.

Was there a point when you realized you’d like to pursue dance as a career?

I think I realized during my high school years, because that’s when I began going to regular dance classes. I also enrolled in a dance school focusing on technique. I began devoting and shifting my whole life to start taking dance more seriously. I took more classes and worked on my technique, strength, flexibility and creativity. The school I attended, Contemporary School of Ana Maletić, really nurtures your sense of improvisation and training your brain to think outside the box. They have techniques, games, and tricks you can use to challenge yourself. I began exploring what my body could do and shifting my imagination, and realized I can really do this. Then I saw the show So You Think You Can Dance which is so commercial and a completely version of contemporary. I fell in love with dance. I realized, this is really challenging, and I want to do it.

How has it been adjusting as an international creative to New York? Does your culture informs your work and yourself?

I come from a family of singers and painters, and my uncle was a dancer back in the day. I’m very lucky that I grew up in the age of internet and TV and could see everything going on in New York and the United States. When I transitioned and came to New York, I came to further my education in modern dance, which we don’t have in Croatia. In New York, it’s faster and people are hustling more, there are less chances, if that makes sense. The biggest difference between Croatia and New York is everything moving so fast and the momentum of people working.

Is there a moment in New York through a performance, company experience, or teaching, you realized this is your calling?

The first time I did Graham technique. I started in a beginner level. I walked past an advanced class at Ailey and saw somebody doing beautiful turns around the back. I was like, “what is this?” I devoted the next seven to eight years just focusing on Graham.

What is your choreographic process like? Did your residency at Baryshnikov Arts Center allow you to expand your research?

I’ve been choreographing ever since I was little, I just didn’t realize it. When I was young I found some little figures and made different formations. I’d imagine them how they move in my head. When I was around 15 years old, I started choreographing my own solos I competed with. I found joy in finding ways to move and learning to own new styles by changing. I was always drawn to creating. My process is always different, depending on the project. Sometimes I approach in a more abstract way and would be drawn to one idea and would start developing choreography. During my Baryshnikov residency in particular, the entire process was very much driven by theater and incorporating all the techniques I know. I began putting them together so they would make sense, and the viewer is not overwhelmed by the number of different styles I’m putting in. I was playing with music, overlaying it with text, and reenacting the text. We’d play with comedy sketches the dancers were a part of, so we’d find out a world, and would develop those words as a game, making up a dance out of it. During that time, the solo I performed at PMT came out of the Baryshnikov residency. I would come to the studio alone and choreograph solo parts for each dancer by myself, and the process was driven by music and dabbling into the world of jazz. And exploring how I would move as Fred Astaire, watching a lot of old Hollywood movies. I’m overwhelmed by the amount of ideas I have and have to edit and cut them, which always comes at the end. I love the challenge and push of different parts of your brain.

Does the music typically inspire you first? Or are there other ideas which spark your imagination?

It depends on the project, but I would say it always starts with the idea. I think about the idea I want to develop intensely, and then the music comes out of nowhere. I don’t know if it’s law of attraction, but I would just find it, hear it, and realize the song is perfect. The idea comes first, but the movement is inspired by the music.

Are there specific themes or topics which come up for you choreographically you go back to or repeat?

It really depends. I always see myself as two characters in a way. I have this very contemporary, modern, abstract aesthetic about me that's very nostalgic, and it's very mystical. And then there's this other version of myself which is very projective and theatrical, dabbling more into commercial movement. Depending on the project, there are always these two sides, which are in harmony. They work perfectly together. I get feedback a lot of times from the same people who see my shows that tell me each solo or performance is completely different. I love exploring different styles and especially shifting gears.  

How would you describe your movement style? Do you have any like specific influences?

My movement is very much rooted in Graham, but I'm always trying to make it my own. I also incorporate pedestrian gestures and pedestrian type of moving. My influences are Martha Graham and Britney Spears. They’re the two sides of me and the biggest inspiration when it comes to dancing, which is very polarizing, but that's just the way I like it.

On your social media you've broken down many Graham technique sequences to make them visible, which started going viral. How has your experience been making Graham more accessible and visible in today's world?

I noticed from Graham teachers and other people telling me that Graham is kind of trickling out of university classes. A lot of young people are not familiar with the technique at all, and I believe it’s one of the best techniques to teach for professionals and beginner dancers. Graham can be very abstract, and there’s a lot of little details that make the whole technique interesting. Graham helps you understand your alignments, articulation, emotion, and musicality. Since I started teaching at Broadway Dance Center, I went with the idea to bring Graham into the space but wasn’t sure how people would receive it. I wanted to break down Graham technique because there aren’t a lot of technique videos out there. There are performance videos, but nowadays the attention span is so short that I don’t think people watch past 10 seconds. I began breaking down technical elements to help people understand what they’re seeing. The feedback I received was overwhelming. I love that a lot of people started sharing it and having interest in taking the Graham technique or looking more into it. I began with the intention of teaching and became kind of a ‘Graham warrior’ trying to save the technique. I was surprised because I put out the content and people really enjoyed it. I wasn’t prepared when I filmed them; I came one day in the studio and stayed there a couple of hours because I was preparing the class. I was choreographing and then began making little sequences and started to film some standard exercises.

Do you have a specific goal or goals as a choreographer?

I would love to choreograph a full-length production. I'm leaning more towards theater, and an immersive type of vibe right now. It’s one of the goals I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’ll take time and preparation. I’ve done a lot of comedy and dance improvisation. I think they go hand in hand, so I would like to incorporate more of both and the theater element in general with my choreography.

What are you most excited for next?

I'm most excited about all the solos and opportunities and teaching opportunities and performing that will come along. I’m looking forward to the new year and all the things that are coming. But, yeah, I'm just like, excited about all the new opportunities to come. I would love to collaborate more with other artists and choreograph and perform more in general. As a young choreographer and dancer, you usually want to dance in your own pieces in a way. I'm looking forward to those moments.

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