Acosta Danza : Evolution review — Cuban superstar’s troupe spreads the magic

Full of charisma: Carlos Acosta's dance troupe takes to the Sadler's Wells stage
Emma Byrne21 November 2019

Carlos Acosta may have retired from classical ballet but the 46-year-old’s pulling power remains in no doubt. Just witness the reaction to his guest appearance in this latest bill by his young Cuban company: whoops, shrieks, even a yelled “We love you, Carlos.” It’s all acknowledged with a boyish grin — this kind of adoration is something he’s accustomed to.

Acosta — the breakdancing Havana street kid who became a once-in-a-generation ballet megastar — has long championed Cuban dance and culture. Acosta Danza, which he formed in 2015, is part of that very personal drive. But this fledgling troupe, 20-strong and multi-disciplined, capable of tackling everything from hip-hop to flamenco, takes from him more than just his name — it’s a company moulded in his image: generous of spirit, explosive, full of charisma. If Acosta’s former mixed programmes produced, well, mixed results, then Evolution is much more interesting.

Kicking things off is Satori, the first major work by company dancer Raúl Reinoso. For a ballet that’s ostensibly about enlightenment, it’s pretty oblique; a giant slab of billowing purple silk, which drapes over or hangs behind the dancers, offers some arresting visual moments, but its use becomes a little tedious, fast. The piece is saved by Zeleidy Crespo, a shaven-headed Amazonian en pointe, who’s also a knockout alongside Carlos Luis Blanco in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s sensuous Faun.

The remaining two pieces are Pontus Lidberg’s Paysage, Soudain, la nuit, a joyous frolic among the hay fields (special mention to a scene-stealing Mario Sergio Elías); and Rooster, Christopher Bruce’s 1991 take on Sixties sexual politics set to The Rolling Stones.

This talented troupe haven’t got the measure of Bruce’s preening young men and bright and breezy women, but Acosta is pitch perfect; full of swagger and with a jump that still, after all these years, hangs in the air.

Until Sat (Sadlerswells.com)

Best ballets to see in London

1/7

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