Dance CARLOS ACOSTA The Guru of Gracefulness It’s what’s in front of Carlos Acosta that drives him. The Cuban dancer has had one of the most illustrious ballet careers of all time, and yet his focus remains firmly on the future: “I hate being predictable. I want to keep surprising and mixing it up,” he says with a smile. As the dance community has been rallying globally to revive live performances postpandemic, Acosta has taken a position at the forefront of making dance relevant to today’s audiences: “We have to come up with ways to speak about who we are now. That’s why I bring in, for example, projections and other technology [into contemporary pieces]. We must find the right balance between yesterday and today.” Straddling to find and maintain a balance is something Acosta has been working through his whole life. Starting out as a child of Cuba, born to a lorry driver, he admits he wasn’t too sure about an activity he initially considered effeminate, such that he was even ILLUSTRATION ISTOCK; PREVIOUS SPREAD: GUILHERME BERGAMINI / GALLERY STOCK 50
expelled from his first ballet school. Fast forward and we observe his meteoric, nay, balletic trajectory to become the English National Ballet’s youngest principal dancer; the Royal Ballet’s first Black principal dancer; and going on to be hailed as one of the greats, a new Nureyev or Nijinksy, with a talent not just for technique, but acting, too. But what underpins this greatness and ability to transcend seemingly different worlds? “I just fought, fought, fought to deliver the best artistry I could,” says Acosta. “That is my character.” The output is a dramatic range, unbridled athleticism mixed with gracefulness, a dynamic stage presence and those big signature smiles channelling a sheer joy in motion. Acosta’s rock ’n’ roll edge made ballet sexy to those who assumed it was dry and elitist, a reputation he continues to work to disprove. Listen to him talk – as he will with the audience at this special event – and his enthusiasm for making dance the kind of performance that all can enjoy, will be simply compelling. Fast forward again, and his focus is now on balancing his illustrious past with a new future. While he still coaches for the Royal Ballet, his heart has also remained connected with his homeland. Back in Cuba, his foundation offers free training to aspiring young hopefuls. And at his dance company, Acosta Danza, he continues to push at the interpretive, and gymnastic boundaries, of choreography. His coming years may yet hold his most important contribution to his chosen art form. COURTESY OF Living FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LOCATIONS AND TO BOOK, SCAN THE QR CODE 51
