Acosta Danza: Cuban Eclectico at Birmingham Hippodrome - Review

Post

Subscribe

Tue 13 May 2025 - Wed 14 May 2025

When Carlos Acosta became Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, one of the side projects he was passionate about maintaining was his Cuban dance company. Acosta Dan is a nod to the famed dancer's Caribbean roots and offers something more eclectic, vivacious and relaxed during its sought-after appearances in the UK.

Acosta Danza is back at Birmingham Hippodrome for just two nights from May 13 to 14, after an appearance at Southampton's Mayflower.

Acosta Danza: Cuban Eclectico showcases five short dance performances, ranging from modern to Afro-Cuban dance. There's a mix of everything from hip-hop to flamenco and capoeira that are all fierce with athleticism and youthful spirit.

Acosta said that he collaborated with choreographers from around the world, who created pieces inspired by Cuban culture, but with their own ‘twist’. There's a recommended age of 16 due to the content and nudity, which opens the show with topless female and male dancers.



This opener is the longest of the dances, Satori by the Cuban choreographer Raúl Reinoso. This fuses contemporary dance with the lines of classical ballet. It aims to show the inward journey to spiritual enlightenment, to the discovery of truth, beauty and light.

It's clear from this striking display of bold dancing and energy that we are in store for something special. This feels far wilder and more passionate than Birmingham Royal Ballet tends to be - plus the audience is being treated to choreography that is cutting edge.

A large silk sheet sways and bends as much as the dancers in this free-spirited routine that's pure spectacle. Some of the dancing is so nimble and excessive that it takes your breath away.

Next up is Faun, by imaginative Flemish-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. It's a duet showing a man and woman discover each other in animalistic fashion, set against a backdrop of a misty forest. The aesthetic of this piece is beautiful.

Cherkaoui is described as "one of the most sought-after contemporary choreographers in the world," and his interpretation of Faun, pictured below, mesmerises. It's a powerful dance, verging on contortion, to soft romantic music. It feels like you are watching primitive mating rituals, danced in the most visceral way.



Following the interval, it's the turn of celebrated Swedish Pontus Lidberg. He has choreographed Paysage, Soudain, la nuit set with a backdrop of wheat fields. A vibrant rumba soundtrack accompanies young people as they dance Latin footwork to traditional music, occasionally rushing through the growing crops that bring a flavour of youthfulness and energy.

The show moves on to Afro-Cuban influences for the shortest of the dances by Spanish choreographer Maria Rovira. She has created the seven minute-long Impronta that harks back to folk dances and has a feel of Flamenco and sometimes tribal in its nature.

I found the fluid movements of the solo dancer hypnotic and fierce. It may have been short but it left a lasting impression on me and used simple yet dramatic lighting perfectly.



The final dance is created by Alexis Fernandez and is called De Punta a Cabo, which translates as 'from tip to toe'. A huge screen displays a video of Havana's Malecón waterfront from sunrise through the night to the following morning as the group of dancers party, romance, fight and endlessly dance.

It's a vivid day in the life that makes you wish you lived in Havana. This is the eclectic we'd been promised, fusing a range of dances as we dip into Cuba's diversity. The journey takes us to Hip Hop, salsa and more.

Ending almost where they began, near naked, the dancers have come full circle in a production that showed off their athletic prowess and unbelievable talent.

Acosta Danza's Cuban Eclectico is exhilarating to watch. It's a vivid, life-affirming display that sets the bar for contemporary dance. No wonder Acosta was so keen to have this alternative outlet for his creativity.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars



Age guidance is 16+ with no under 3s admitted.

Dance running order:
Satori – Paul Reinoso – 25 minutes
Faun – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – 15 minutes
Interval – 20 minutes
Paysage – Pontus Lidberg – 17 minutes
Impronta – Maria Rovira – 7 minutes
De Punta a Cabo – Alexis Fernandez – 18 minutes

Tickets for Acosta Danza: Cuban Eclectico can be found at Birmingham Hippodrome website here . It runs from Tuesday, May 13 to Wednesday, May 14. Tickets start from £16.50 and can also be booked by calling 0121 689 3000.

%wnbirmingham
#theatre_shows
#dance
#arts_culture