Dance

Carlos Acosta

Initial PGF Award: Dance Fellowship, 1995

Born in Havana, he trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba. His prizes include the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne (1990), the Gold Medal at the Fourth Annual Competition of Ballet, Paris (1990) and an Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award at the Laurence Olivier Awards (2007). He was a Principal with ENB, 1991-2, danced with National Ballet of Cuba, 1992-3, and was a Principal with Houston Ballet, 1993-8.

He joined The Royal Ballet in 1998 and became a Principal Guest Artist, 2003.

He danced Principal roles in ballets by Ashton, MacMillan, Balanchine, Robins, Tetley, Fokine and Tudor, among others. He has created roles for Ben Stevenson and Ashley Page and has written and choreographed his semi-autobiographical show Tocororo. He has recently danced Spartacus with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and London.

Photo: Johan Persson

website: www.carlosacosta.com