MADRID, Spain.- Renowned Cuban dancer and choreographer Carlos Acosta arrived in Catalonia, Spain, this week to participate in the prestigious Peralada Festival. His visit has generated expectations, especially for the last piece of his program, which addresses the social situation in Cuba.
Acosta, who throughout his career has avoided open criticism of the Cuban regime, in an interview with the Spanish media The vanguard In the context of the festival, he shared his perspective on the repercussions of the social situation in the artistic sphere of the Island.
The dancer lamented the deterioration of cultural facilities and the exodus of artists. “Since Alicia Alonso passed away, everything has changed. There is a tremendous exodus of artists and Cuban heritage. There are no theaters. The musicians of the orchestra, essential in ballet, have left. Alicia was the first lady of Cuba, there was a lot of interest in preserving her legacy, but obviously when the leader is not there, everything suffers,” said Acosta.
He also explained that the Alicia Alonso theatre has been closed for more than five years. “Havana, which used to be a city of theatres, now only has two, and in the one that seats 600 you cannot put on a large ballet with scenery. There is no room, so only the National Theatre remains. So everyone is fighting for the spaces and we (his company), for example, can only dance once a year. The dance festival that used to take place is now a shadow, it is held in only three theatres, one of which is not for dance,” he laments.
Asked if he would take over the direction of the National Ballet of Cuba if he were asked to do so, he replied: “I am already 51 years old, I want to concentrate on Acosta Danza, which is what I am going to leave behind. And I want to achieve alliances so that, when I leave, it will still be there, with a structure and an entity to govern it. That already requires a lot of work.”
His company is not exempt from the country’s shortcomings, however, it does constant work in training dancers. “We are not only in charge of cultivating them as artists but also as human beings. Many come from very poor backgrounds, sometimes they had never set foot in the capital before. And we educate them for three years, we give them shoes, we train them in ballet and contemporary and then they join the company after passing some tests. And if they don’t pass, we take care of opening the way for them to other companies,” said Acosta about his company, made up of 18 dancers and which he founded almost a decade ago in Cuba.
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2024-07-23 04:37:04
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