Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters Review
August 6, 2026 | Royal Opera House – London, England
An intriguing production title that delivered what it said; whisking us on a journey across a variety of styles and time frames and choreographers.
As well as marking his continued 50th birthday celebrations, Carlos Acosta presented tonight’s work featuring himself, but ultimately offering a platform to dancers who are part of the two companies he directs; Acosta Danza and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
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Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters Review
Opening was the much-awaited The Moor’s Pavane with Acosta’s debut in the role of Othello. It’s quite remarkable to realise, watching the calm, organised work, that Henry Purcell’s baroque music was not matched to it until much of the choreography, by José Limόn, was complete.
Acosta and dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet delivered a very watchable staging of his 1949 choreography, with a sense of control, order and restraint shown throughout, even when emotions could be seen to be bubbling, such as during Lago’s efforts to manipulate and control Othello.
Although there were some timing discrepancies this evening, there was a sustained reverent and almost hypnotic feel about the piece, which ended with Othello lying down next to his wife’s lifeless body.
An interval followed, which spoiled the spell we’d just been drawn into. But the curtain rose again on a very different flavour – Acosta Danza’s Nutcracker in Havana Suite, which featured a sweet family tribute to Acosta’s achievements. His teenage daughter Aila Acosta Holland played Clara opposite her father as the overseer, marvelling at the divertissements as he introduced them.
There was a fun percussive section using dancers’ feet and a brief maypole dance with ribbons dropping down from overhead. Beatrice Parma and Enrique Bejarano Vidal stole the stage as the Sugar Plum fairy and her Cavalier, oozing charm, experience and technical brilliance.
Two shorter pieces followed; a stunningly impressive presentation of Vaganova’s Diana and Actaeon Pas de Deux performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Yasiel Hodelín Bello and Katherine Ochoa. Their thrilling technical deliverance – Hodelín Bello entered in a flying leap from the wings – and both their joyful connections with the audience were fabulous to watch.
Then, before a second interval, a deeply moving Nosotros, choreographed by Beatriz García and Raύl Reinoso, featured live piano and cello in upstage right, and dancers Acosta and Amisaday Naara, opening in a warm spotlight downstage left.
Some beautiful lines and musicality as this piece reflecting on intermittency in relationships, developed. The atmospheric and intimate lighting, designed also by
García and Reinoso, contributed greatly to the emotive weight of this piece.
Acosta and Naara, dressed in white, reached for one another tenderly. Some luxuriously innovative lifts which wrapped around a mix of other emotions – frustration, irritation, connection – really made it feel as though they were having a conversation between them. They were apart, and yet he turned and caught her as she fell.
Add to that the responsive energy between the onstage musicians and the dancers, this became my favourite part of this mixed bill.
The final work in tonight’s production was a restaging of Rooster, originally choreographed by Christopher Bruce in 1991, using eight tracks of Rolling Stones hits. Although a fabulous idea, but it never seemed to quite build or explode.
“Lady Jane” worked well with a visually pleasing array of lyrical duets. My favourite part was a solo female in a long flowing red dress dancing to “Ruby Tuesday”. She floated through a flurry of several lifts, passed from person to person as she danced with four male dancers.
Acosta opened the piece, entering the stage with the ‘rooster walk’ – a motif that recurred throughout. It was fun, comical, and it was audibly appreciated by the audience. But it seemed to suggest that so much more was possible, in matching these dancer’s skills with the iconic music.
Overall, it was a good varied, entertaining evening, with some scope for tighter rehearsing, timing and execution. Definitely a celebratory vibe, and an appreciative audience, many on their feet to applaud at the end.
Featured Photo of Carlos Acosta with Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers Beatrice Parma, and Miki Mizutani in José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane. Photo Helen Maybanks.
