Is Carlos Acosta the busiest man in ballet? As well as running Acosta Danza, his company of Cuban talents which this year celebrates its tenth birthday, he’s also artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, has launched companies for younger dancers and an ambitious dance centre in Woolwich, and has written both memoir and fiction.
This charismatic powerhouse has a gift for attention-grabbing initiatives (his Black Sabbath commission for Birmingham was a coup), and for nurturing dancers. He also has an impressive curiosity about dance makers new to the UK – but his eye for choreography is less reliable. Acosta Danza are a company of spirited dancers rather than killer choreography – Folclor is a hectic, patchy triple bill, though danced with unfailing verve.
