Carlos Acosta makes a dazzling return to the Royal Opera House with his daughter
Carlos Acosta makes a dazzling return to the Royal Opera House with his daughter
Fiona MountfordThu, August 6, 2026 at 3:35 PM UTC
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Carlos Acosta as Drosselmeyer and his 14-year-old daughter, Aila Acosta Holland, as Clara in Nutcracker in Havana - Helen Maybanks
For 17 years, Carlos Acosta, the most admired male dancer in generations, made the Royal Opera House his home, electrifying ballet audiences with his charismatic, high-bouncing mastery. He bid farewell in 2015, returning briefly in 2023 to celebrate his 50th birthday. Now he’s back in the building, proudly showcasing the two companies he leads. As director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and founder of Acosta Danza in his Cuban hometown of Havana, this delightful mixed bill is all about demonstrating the riches of the talent contained therein. Yet the show’s tagline of “myths and modern masters” seems the optimum description of Acosta himself, a continuing colossus of the dance world.
Of the five pieces, the 53-year-old sensibly features in four of them (the one he doesn’t is the shortest) as, new stars aside, he is the performer everyone is crackling to see. He starts in José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane (1949), in a role favoured by Rudolf Nureyev, and the magnetism of his performance evokes a rich palimpsest of past triumphs. Elements of a 16th-century court dance, to music from Purcell, recount the intertwining fates of Othello and Desdemona, Iago and Emilia, with BRB principal Miki Mizutani offering a striking crispness of movement as the conflicted Emilia.
Max Maslen and Carlos Acosta in The Moor’s Pavane - Helen Maybanks
Carlos isn’t the only member of the Acosta family to pop up. In a suite from his own production of Nutcracker in Havana, he is the sequinned, waist-coated Drosselmeyer figure, while his 14-year-old daughter, Aila Acosta Holland, is an excitable Clara in the Land of Sweets, letting rip with a burst of spirited clog dancing. This is Tchaikovsky with maracas; it’s great fun.
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Aila Acosta Holland letting rip as Clara - Alastair Muir
Nutcracker in Havana is Tchaikovsky with maracas - Alastair Muir
Nosotros, choreographed by Acosta Danza members Beatriz García and Raúl Reinoso, is a thoughtful meditation on a relationship, its metaphorical twists and turns concretised by Acosta, who is a sinuous and brooding presence, and by Amisaday Naara. These 12 minutes provide a happy-sad reminder of past glories, of the unrivalled elegance of Acosta’s partnering.
Carlos Acosta and Amisaday Naara in Nosotros, a thoughtful meditation on a relationship, choreographed by Beatriz García and Raúl Reinoso - Alastair Muir
The evening concluded in triumphant fashion with Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, set to the music of the Rolling Stones. Acosta is the leader of the gang of strutting, preening men – the cocks of the walk with their velvet jackets and brightly coloured shirts – who shake their tail feathers to a gallery of women. A fine time was had by all, both onstage and off. The standing ovation for this joyous evening went on and on, as the ROH faithful simply didn’t want to let Acosta go (again).
Until Sunday (rbo.org.uk)
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
