Review: Carlos Acosta’s A Classical Farewell

Born into an impoverished Cuban family in 1973, Carlos Acosta was to become one of the greatest, most important ballet dancers of his generation. Throughout his career, Acosta has stunned the world with his preternatural grace, athleticism and showmanship. He is critically acclaimed and subject to audience adulation in the same vein as renowned Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

With a glittering career packed full of award-winning performances, Acosta announced his retirement from the ballet world in 2015, celebrating his farewell with a performance of Carmen last November, which he both choreographed and danced in, at the Royal Opera House in London.

Acosta has stunned the world with his preternatural grace, athleticism and showmanship.

In addition to this performance, Acosta announced one final farewell tour of the UK, including three nights at the Birmingham Hippodrome, titled A Classical Farewell: a programme of short works including excerpts from the classical repertoire and contemporary pieces performed by a selection of talented Cuban dancers with live musical accompaniment by the Manchester Camerata.

To begin the show, Acosta walked onto the stage in a loose t-shirt and trousers, a bag slung over his shoulder as he took a seat towards the back, warming up for the oncoming performance. Moments later, a group of dancers in traditional warm-up clothing entered the stage to greet him, stretching their muscles and rehearsing various dance movements.

This wonderfully self-reflexive ‘behind-the-scenes’ narrative underpinned the entire performance.

This wonderfully self-reflexive ‘behind-the-scenes’ narrative underpinned the entire performance, reminding the audience that the performances they will see are the result of tireless rehearsals, hard work, dedication and passion for dance, a passion that never seems to have dissipated for Acosta throughout his career.

The curtain camedown concealing the on-stage dancers and the main body of the show began with one of the most famous dances in classical ballet; the White Swan pas de deux from Act II of Swan Lake. Despite extraction from its typical narrative context, the piece was beautifully danced by Enrique Corrales and Gabriela Lugo, who later performed Michel Fokine’s The Dying Swan to the delight of the audience.

Even gravity seems to step back to admire his talent.

The first section of A Classical Farewell also featured pas de deux’s from La Sylphide, Kenneth MacMillan’s Winter Dreams and Diana & Actaeon, the first time we saw Acosta dancing in the programme, his entrance onto the stage drawing rapturous applause from the audience (and even a few wolf-whistles). Throughout the piece, with Laura Rodríguez, Acosta dazzled the audience with his virtuoso prowess, most notably his faster-than-light pirouettes where even gravity seems to step back to admire his talent.

The second section of A Classical Farewell showcased a range of dances by contemporary Cuban choreographers, most notably Raúl Reinoso’s Anadromous; a captivating blend of contemporary dance and visual art that enraptured the audience in the mood of Gabriela Lugo’s dramatic, staccato movements, reminiscent of Wayne McGregor’s Infra. The highlight of the second part, however, aside from the light-hearted finale featuring all the dancers performing Georges Garcia’s Majisimo, was Acosta’s solo Chaplin-like performance of Les Bourgeois, showcasing his unique ability to stay in character and dance technically challenging movements while thoroughly entertaining his audience.

The range of generations in attendance at the Birmingham performance of A Classical Farewell, a virtuosic showcase of some of ballet’s most entertaining pieces, was testament to Acosta’s wide and continuing influence.

Acosta’s retirement has left a massive hole in the ballet world, a community that is still enamoured with an iconic, multi-award winning dancer that won the hearts of audiences around the globe. The range of generations in attendance at the Birmingham performance of A Classical Farewell, a virtuosic showcase of some of ballet’s most entertaining pieces, was testament to Acosta’s wide and continuing influence, and the standing ovation at the end of the night was the audience’s own way to thank Acosta for all he has contributed to the ballet world and no doubt will continue to in the future.