One of the most influential figures in the world of dance created a show where five renowned Hispanic choreographers deployed in London an exuberant display of styles. It was his way of celebrating a decade of supporting Cuban talent. Under the title “A Decade in Motion”, the force of their art ranged from salsa to contemporary dance.
Ballet dance legend Carlos Acosta is one of the most renowned and influential figures in dance worldwide.
Since his retirement from classical ballet in 2016 after a 28-year career, the Cuban-born Acosta has become a choreographer, written books, made a film based on his life, and is currently Artistic Director at Birmingham Royal Ballet.
He has spent a lifetime supporting new talent in his native Cuba through his Carlos Acosta Foundation, the Acosta Dance Academy in Cuba and his Cuban dance company Acosta Danza. He celebrates 10 years nurturing home-grown talent with his new show “A decade in motion”, showcasing the best of Cuban dance and launched at Sadler’s Wells last week.
For “A decade in motion” Acosta brings together five renowned Hispanic choreographers to present a mixed bill. The programme brought together five Hispanic choreographers, highlighting the vibrant diversity of the island’s dance culture through a range of works. It was an exuberant display of dance styles and influences from the Caribbean island.
In “La ecuación” (The equation) Cuban choreographer George Céspedes showcases the new type of social dance he’s created: a piece that was previously performed on the main stage at the Royal Opera House.
Olivier award-winner Javier de Frutos, named one of London’s most influential people by the Evening Standard in 2016, here presents the UK premiere of 28 días (98 days), a piece set in the Havana of the 1920s and inspired by Federico García Lorca’s visit to Cuba. Also premiering and drawing inspiration from García Lorca, is “Llamada” (Gesture) by acclaimed Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero, currently ballet director at Staatsballet Hannover after 17 years at Staatsballet Nuremberg, Germany’s leading dance company. Montero also choreographed a piece for São Paulo Dance Company that was performed at Sadler’s Wells last year. “De punta a cabo” (From end to end) by Alexis Fernández and Yaday Ponce, Acosta Danza’s Artistic Director, brings the whole company on stage in a riotous celebration of Cuban culture.
The piece is set against the Malecón esplanade –Havana’s iconic five miles stretch of coastline featuring landmarks of Cuba’s architecture.
De Punta a Cabo highlights the breadth and variety of Cuban dance culture, from classical dance to salsa to dancing with bare feet.
The eleventh and youngest child in an impoverished family, Carlos Acosta was born in Havana in 1973, and trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba, winning the prestigious Gold Medal at the Prix De Lausanne in 1990. At 18, he became the English National Ballet’s youngest-ever principal dancer and during his 17 years with the Royal Ballet, he was named the first black principal and the first black Romeo.
“Some dancers see it as a job. Others view dance as a necessity. For me it was salvation,” said Acosta in a recent interview. “My life depended on it. I was in a very bad place socially and the only way forward was to succeed at all costs. I understood that I had this talent and I began to really, really hammer it. It consumed every aspect of my life.”
This understanding has motivated Acosta’s commitment to creating opportunities for other young dancers in Cuba. At the Acosta Dance Academy in Cuba young dancers and choreographers can take part in a free three-year dance training programme, while his company Acosta Danza, serves as a platform for Cuban dancers, providing them with an international-level career and training without the need to leave the country.
“Cuba gave me an amazing chance to turn myself into the dancer I am for free, and it is a philosophy I want to pass on,” he explained to The Guardian.
“I believe in free education and free opportunities. You are not going to solve the worst problems here, but at least we do something.”
In the UK Acosta also runs the Acosta Dance Centre in South London In 2014 Carlos Acosta was honoured with a CBE, and next month will see him receive the Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award at the UK Theatre Awards. The show waspresented last week at Sadler’s Wells. The title of the show was “Acosta danza – a decade in motion”
(Information and photos supplied by Argentine Film Festival London)
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