MATTHEW RAWCLIFFE

Matthew Rawcliffe attended The Lowry Centre for Advanced Training from the age of 15, and went on to train at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He was the winner of the Contemporary Final of BBC Young Dancer 2019.

How did you discover the CAT scheme?
I was part of an acting company based at The Lowry and around the time of the New Adventures’ Lord of The Flies production, the building began to really advocate boys dance and I became increasingly aware of the many opportunities open to young men (even at the age of 15/16 – which I was at this time) to get involved in contemporary dance and have a serious chance of pursuing this as a career.

What had been your experience of dance before the CAT scheme?
Before CAT I had done mainly musical theatre dance and been involved in pantomimes – but not much movement beyond step clapping and smiling.

What has the CAT scheme taught you?
The CAT scheme taught me a lot about discipline and professionalism, I think I owe a lot to the teachers in the space they gave me to develop my own creative voice. The exposure to such a variety of companies and their work which we received through workshops for and performances really informed my decision to begin auditioning and eventually go to dance school.

Where has the scheme led you so far?
Full time training at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. The 2019 BBC Young Dancer programme and performing in Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet at Sadlers Wells.

What are your future aspirations?
I would love to have a chance to go into choreography – my dream job would be to choreograph an animated film.