Acosta Danza was set up by ballet star Carlos Acosta in 2015 to harness and develop young talent and to showcase Cuban performers and Cuban culture. Six years later they tour the world.
100% CUBAN is five works infused with Cuban music and dance, which are arrestingly lit. The performance is notable for its skill, energy and charm.
LIBERTO, choreographed by Raúl Reinoso is a story of slavery, a mixture of fiction, reality, history, mythology, culture and religion. The choreography combines folk, modern and contemporary dance. Zeleidy Crespo is a strikingly tall Yoruba god, a powerful presence. Mario Sergio Elias is a runaway slave caught up in a hanging fishnet.
HYBRID, choreographed by Norge Cedeno Raffo and Thiais Suarez, taking its cue from bold Sisyphus (none boulder than he), is a piece about freedom and love and how human beings can change the world if they are united. Twelve dancers strive to reach imaginary futures. The energy amazes.
PAYSAGE, SOUDAIN, LA NUIT, choreographed Sweden’s Pontus Lidberg, is a colourful youthful, joyful celebration in a wheatfield to rumba music, a genre typical of Cuban music.
IMPRONTA by Spanish choreographer Maria Rovira was created specifically for the strikingly tall and flexible Zeleidy Crespo, a shaven headed and sexy figure, who lifts and rustles her blue silk skirt. A major solo turn.
DE PUNTA A CUBA, created for twelve dancers by Alexis Fernández (Maca) and Yaday Ponce, is set against the backdrop of the Malecón, a broad esplanade and seawall stretching for eight kilometres along the Havana coastline where people hang out. It’s a feelgood, audience-friendly piece.
The tour dates for Acosta Danza’s 100% Cuban include Nottingham, Salford, Hull in February and Canterbury and Plymouth in March. You can find more details by clicking here.
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