Acosta Danza last visited Sadler’s Wells with their version of Carmen, and this presentation is very different in feel and content. This year marks the tenth anniversary of their foundation and the four works presented deliberately showcase the three-way blend of Cuban dance elements, classical technique and contemporary vibes that the organisation seeks to embody. Each creation lasts for 15 or 20 minutes, possessing very different, contrasted characteristics.
La Ecuacion/The Equation is an experiment in geometric possibilities with choreography by George Cespedes and music by X Alfonso. The skeleton of a large cube stands in the middle of the stage and four dancers in contrasting colourful costumes begin a series of manoeuvres inside and outside it. Initially these are exact, precise repeated gestures by individuals before they join hands evoking the spirit and image of Matisee’s famous painting The Dance. As basic maracas and marimbas are followed by a techno beat, angularity is succeeded by gestures of collective striving and some striking shifting colour patterns in the lighting scheme.
After this abstract introduction, we shifted to a much more specific narrative piece, 98 Dias, which describes the experiences of the writer Fredico Garcia Lorca in visiting Cuba on his way back to Spain from New York. Ten dancers, all dressed in blue, take to the stage against the soundscape of a ticking clock. A recorded narrator recites the poem Son de Negros en Cuba, written during Lorc’s 98-day long stay. It is unfortunate that there are no subtitles to give a sense of the poem for those who do not have Spanish, but it is clear nevertheless from the choreography of Javier de Frutos that this was a very rewarding time for Lorca. Group moves alternate with intimate and expressive sequences for couples, indicating the sensual satisfactions and release the poet found on the island.
Perhaps the most successful and fully realised of the pieces here was Llamada/Gesture by Goyo Montero. Again Lorca is the chief inspiration here, especially his Ode To Walt Whitman, a setting of which provides part of the soundtrack. The title refers to an almost untranslatable inner compulsion or vocation, which if you do not follow you cannot find fulfilment and self-realisation. This was manifested in a set of intensely expressive sequences between couples, both men and women and same-sex combinations. These evinced both intimacy, passion and aggression in highly convincing ways as each of the dancers sought to achieve their own personal fulfilment. Here the costumes helped substantially too, as the differently cut, creamy white, outfits set dancers apart and indeed allowed some to strip down as the piece progressed.
Finally, we were treated to a performance of De Punta a Cabo, something of an exuberant signature work for this group, The setting is the Malecon, an 8 km-long esplanade in Havana, represented here with a video projection populated with figures who mirrored the daily activities depicted by the dancers on stage. The choreography by Alexis Fernandez is the most obviously inspired by Cuban dance rhythms, but also contains much taxing classical dance technique. It set a joyous, foot-tapping tone for the finale which carried over into an encore with the whole audience clapping along in time.
Acosta Danza
Director: Carlos Acosta
Until 27 September 2025
1 hr 40 mins with interval
Photo Credit: Enrique Smith Soto