Carlos Acosta

Biography

Carlos Acosta was born in Cuba in 1973 to family of a Cuban truck-driver. His life is the original inspirational rags-to-riches story, as he defied all familiar conservative expectations to capture the heart of the classical ballet world.

One of 11 children, Carlos grew up in a cramped Havana apartment, played truant from school and became a champion break-dancer. The fear of his wayward son becoming a delinquent prompted his father to send him off to ballet school aged 9. But Carlos had always dreamed of becoming a footballer and hated ballet.

However, his extraordinary natural talent as a dancer was quickly recognized. Carlos began his studies at the National Ballet School of Cuba, Havana and was taught by many distinguished teachers, including Ramona de Saa. By age 17, he was achieving world acclaim. In June 1991 he received his diploma with maximum qualifications and a gold medal.

He went on to win numerous awards ranging from the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne (1990), the Grand Prix at the 4th biennial Concours International de Danse de Paris (1990), the Vignale Danza Prize in Italy (1990), the Frederic Chopin Prize, awarded by the Polish Artistic Corporation (1990), The Prize for Merit in the Young Talent Competition, Positano, Italy (1991), the Osimodanza Prize, Italy (1991), the Grand Prix at Cuba's prestigious Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC) competition (1991) and a Dance Fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation, USA (1995).
His accolade was also  the 2003 and  2006 National Dance Award from the UK Critics' Circle.
In 2004, he was nominated for an Olivier Award. In 2007, he won that prize.
In December 2006, he collected an Honorary Doctorate from London Metropolitan University.

From 1989 to 1991 Carlos performed throughout the world guesting with many companies including the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino in Italy, where he danced alongside Luciana Savignano, and the Teatro Teresa Carreno de Caracas in Venezuela.

In the 1991/92 season he was invited by Ivan Nagy to dance with the English National Ballet in London. He made his debut in The Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and also appeared in Cinderella, partnering Eva Evdokimova and Ludmilla Semenyaka, Le Spectre de la Rose, Les Sylphides and as the Prince in Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker.

In 1992 and 1993 he was a member of the National Ballet of Cuba under the artistic director Alicia Alonso, rising to Principal Dancer in 1994. In October 1993 and September 1994 he toured with the company to Madrid, Spain, where he danced various roles including Albrecht in Giselle, Basilio in Don Quixote and Siegfried in Swan Lake.

In November 1993 he was invited by Ben Stevenson, the artistic director of the Houston Ballet, to join the company as a principal dancer and he made his American stage debut as the Prince in The Nutcracker.
Following this, his repertory with the Houston Ballet included Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Solor in La Bayadere, Basilio in Don Quixote, Stevenson's Britten Pas de Deux, the male lead in Harald Lander's Etudes, Jiri Kylian's Symphony in D and the Chosen One in Rite of Spring.
In 1997, he created the role of Frederick in Ben Stevenson's Dracula and in 1998 he added the role of Misgir in the premiere of Stevenson's The Snow Maiden, partnering Nina Ananiashvili.

In 1998, Carlos joined The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden under the direction of Anthony Dowell, and remains there to date as Principal Guest Artist. He made his first appearance with the company in William Forsythe's In the middle, somewhat elevated and subsequently appeared as Jean de Brienne in Rudolf Nureyev's production of Raymonda Act III, Colas in Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Actaeon in the Diana and Actaeon Pas de Deux, The Brother in Kenneth MacMillan's My Brother, My Sisters, Albrecht in Giselle, and the Principal Boy in Rhapsody.
At the Opening Celebration of the Royal Opera House, Carlos performed the Man's Solo in Petipa's Le Corsaire. In the 1999/2000 season, he danced in Nacho Duato's Remanso, The Prince in The Nutcracker, Solo Boy in MacMillan's Gloria, Franz in Ninette de Valois' production of Coppelia, Nijinsky's L'Apres-midi d'un faune, Des Grieux in MacMillan's Manon, the Messenger of Death in Song of the Earth and the Boy with Matted Hair in Antony Tudor's Shadowplay.
During the 2001/2 season he made his debut as Basilio in Nureyev's Don Quixote, and in the 2002/2003 season he made his debut as the title role in George Balanchine's Apollo. He has created roles in Ashley Page's Hidden Variables and William Tuckett's 3:4.

Carlos was a guest artist with the American Ballet Theatre during the company's Metropolitan Opera House season in the summer of 2002, when he performed Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty Act III, Oberon in The Dream, Colas in La Fille mal gardee and Conrad in Le Corsaire.
He rejoined the ABT (under artistic director Kevin McKenzie) as Principal Dancer, for the company's 2003 autumn season at City Center, New York, to perform in the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and a new staging of Raymonda (Grand Pas Classique). More recently Carlos appeared at the Royal Opera House in Balanchine's Agon with Zenaida Yanowsky, Viacheslav Samodurov and Lauren Cuthbertson, Prodigal Son with Sylvie Guillem and in MacMillan's Mayerling (as Crown Prince Rudolf).
In June 2006, he danced for the Queen in the Royal Gala which celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Ballet.

Additionally, Carlos performs regularly with top national ballet companies, appearing in more than 20 countries including the UK, USA, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, France Chile, Argentina, Greece and Turkey.

Carlos has commenced his choreographic career with his much praised rags to riches story Tocororo: A Cuban Tale. Following its premier in Havana 2003 (attended by Fidel Castro), he sold out Sadler’s Wells for three weeks in the summer of 2003. The show ran again at Sadler's Wells and at the Birmingham Hippodrome in the Summer of 2004. International performances followed in 2005 with the show returning to the Coliseum this summer hot on the heels of his astounding, sell-out "Carlos Acosta & Friends from the Royal Ballet" at Sadler's Wells.