Little Red Cuban Rooster
It is highly unlikely that when hip-thrusting Mick Jagger was doing the rounds, back in the 60s, belting out words such as “Watch out strange cat people/Little red rooster's on the prowl”, he ever had Cuban dancer par excellence and ex-Royal Ballet star Carlos Acosta in mind.
Yet, Mick should have envisioned that one day there would be another cockerel ruling the roost. It just so happens that this one hails from the largest island in the Antilles.
Evolution, Acosta’s company’s latest touring work confirms this. It features “Rooster”, Christopher Bruce’s The Rolling Stones-inspired choreography. And Carlos Acosta struts his stuff in it.
Acosta Danza has come a long way from its humble beginnings less than half a dozen years ago. It is now a more solid proposition with a stronger concept of the abstract and opaque. It also demands more of its performers physically with limit-stretching pieces of incredible beauty. Dance enthusiasts will find a hypnotic combination of both technique (turning ankles and en pointe postures, for instance) and humour.
The programme the company brings to Sadler’s Wells is an ambitious and eclectic mix. This is a reflection of Carlos’ mission to form a dance company that pushed beyond the narrow confines of ballet. Swedish choreographer, film-maker and dancer Pontus Lidberg gives us Paysage…
