CUBA: Cuban dancer Acosta seeks Afro-Cuban roots

As classic as Swan Lake but as funky as an Afro-Cuban live concert, Carlos Acosta and the National Ballet of Cuba prepare something snazzy for London audiences. It's ballet with a Cuban samba twist - the latest offering from the National Ballet of Cuba that will shimmy into London's Salder's Wells Theatre in late October. It's the choreography of Cuban ballet legend Carlos Acosta, who will also star in the show. Aptly called "Carlos Acosta and Friends", the performances focuses on an eight-dancer troupe, all currently in intense rehearsals in Havana. "I'm taking a show that is new for London, but not for Cuba, which are choreographed by Alberto Mendez, considered one of the highest moments of Cuban choreography. I think it is something new for the London audience, and at the same time I try to make a story with this choreography, with my choreography," Acosta said. Acclaimed for his raw athleticism and technical virtuosity, the 34-year-old Acosta, is one of the world's best. He danced at the Bolshoi in Moscow when he was just 16 and joined The Royal Ballet in London in 1998. This is his second choreography after his debut autobiographical piece "Tocororo", that told the story of a poor boy who leaves his rural family for the city and was loosely based on Acosta's rise from the streets to the stage. Like "Tocoro", "Carlos Acosta and Friends" also reflects his roots in a poor Havana neighborhood. The difference being this programin an energetic samba played by its Cuban composer Aldo Lopez Gavilan and his band. The show also stars Viengsay Valdes, principal ballerina of the national ballet company, and the up-and-coming Anette Delgado - who fans are already calling the protégé of Cuba's ballet matriarch, Alicia Alonso, who runs the national company. "It's challenging, so different from what we are used to, especially the end where we all dance to very fast live samba music and the movements are very contemporary, when we are much better adapted to the classics," said Delgado, sweat running off her body. Cuba is turning out some of the world's finest dancers who stun audiences with their blend of joyful Cuban sensuality and superb classical training in Russian and French techniques. They are sought by leading international companies. The success of dancers trained by Alonso is remarkable for an elitist art form in a poor communist-run country. "Cuba is a melting pot of races. To that we add a fusion of rhythms and classical techniques," said Acosta. "When you see Cuban dance on stage, you know it is Cuban, because it brings its own flavor," Acosta said. "Carlos Acosta and Friends" tells the contemporary story of a young woman (Yolanda Correa), who wears jeans and dark glasses as she reads a book of stories to her uninterested boyfriend (Javier Torres). They quarrel and he leaves. The four classical pieces arise from stories she imagines in her book that include "El rio y el bosque," "Munecos" and "Paso a tres" by Cuban choreographer Alberto Mendez. Acosta also dances his favorite pas de deux, Petipa's "Le Corsaire." The show has even got the stamp of approval from Cuban leader Fidel Castro - who met with Acosta in 2004. "I understand that you all want to go on a bit of a tour, that you want to perform in a few places. It will be worth it. From what I have seen here, and I am not an expert, but one likes what they see, they like it," Castro said.

ITN Source | August 23, 2007

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