Carlos Acosta brings a touch of Cuba to the Royal Opera stage

Royal Ballet Principal Carlos Acosta will bring Cubanía, a programme of Cuban dance inspired by his homeland, to the Royal Opera House in July. The mixed programme contains world premieres and award-winning contemporary dance which will be accompanied by a live onstage Cuban house band. Cubanía is devised by Acosta and he will perform during the evening.

Uniting dancers and choreographers from The Royal Ballet, Rambert, Cuban National Ballet and Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Acosta will dance in a new piece by Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga, and will also partner Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky in Edwaard Liang's poignant duet Sight Unseen.

The programme includes Tocororo Suite, a semi-autobiographical piece set in the streets of Havana choreographed by Acosta; Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, the Cuban national contemporary dance company; and two world premières by Cuban choreographers.

Danza Contemporánea will perform the high-speed and energetic La Ecuación by Cuban dance star, and Olivier nominee, George Céspedes. They will also première a new Afro-Cuban piece. Cuban dancer Alexander Varona will perform Russell Maliphant's dance solo Flux.

In the second half of the evening Acosta will present Tocororo Suite, a selection of highlights from his popular 2003 dance work which he has re-imagined for the large Royal Opera House stage. In this piece Acosta will be joined by members of Danza Contemporánea, and Cuban Ballet Principal Veronica Corveas.

Cubanía will play for three nights from 21 July.
Book online www.roh.org.uk

PROGRAMME

• Danza Contemporánea de Cuba perform La Ecuación choreographed by George Céspedes, and will première a new piece.
• Alexander Varona performs Flux choreographed by Russell Maliphant.
• Carlos Acosta and Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky perform Sight Unseen choreographed by Edwaard Liang set to music by Arvo Pärt.
• Acosta will perform a new piece by choreographer Miguel Altunaga.
• Carlos Acosta choreographs Tocororo Suite, which he will perform in with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.