We’re on a wild goose chase looking for Carlos Acosta. The Cuban-born ballet star, who has just turned 51, is not at the stage door of London’s Sadler’s Wells, where his Cuban dance company Acosta Danza will perform his full-length production of Carmen in July. He’s not in the company office, or in the main auditorium where the Birmingham Royal Ballet, of which he’s been director since 2020, is rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty. Calls are being made. The receptionist swears she saw him leave the building. His name is signed in the visitors’ book. Houdini?
When he finally appears, it’s the grand entrance we’ve all been waiting for. He’s wearing black shiny boots, a 1970s-style Starsky & Hutch tan leather jacket, and jeans. His feet are positioned outwards like he’s been moulded forever in ballet’s first position.
