An Altona North tradie is aiming to become Australia’s answer to Channing Tatum after winning a scholarship with the world’s biggest hip-hop company in Los Angeles.
Ivan Krslovic has become the first Australian male to win a scholarship with the ImmaBEAST dance company, choreographers from which have worked with some of the biggest names in music including Madonna, Rihanna and Usher.
He was selected after competing at the week-long BuildaBEAST Experience (BABE) dance convention.
Krslovic, aka as Ivan the Aussie, grew up in Altona North, going to St Leo the Great Primary School and Emmanuel College (St Paul’s).
About three years ago, at age 24, he “fell into dancing” when his best friend needed moral support at an audition to be one of Justin Timberlake’s back-up dancers.
Ivan said he had worked 16-hour days as a painter to save enough money to train in LA.
“Sometimes I did 22-hour shifts,” he said.
“That funded my trips to LA, my training, and then I’d waste all my money, come back and do it again.”
Ivan, who has played the role of a stripper on Neighbours, said Channing Tatum was his role model.
“I want to be the next Channing Tatum,” he said. “He can just do it all – awesome dancer, actor. He can do a number of genres and has that versatility.”
Ivan said his journey so far showed that a boy from Melbourne’s west could do anything.
“A lot of naysayers, a lot of people on the job site were telling me to give up and keep working,” he said. “But I didn’t listen to them and made it happen.”
