Carlos Acosta's dreams

Cuban ballet star and dance icon Carlos Acosta has announced he aspires to open a dance company on the island of Havana after retiring from the Royal Ballet after the 2015-2016 season. Acosta was born in Havana and went on to become a principal with English National Ballet and Houston Ballet. He joined the Royal Ballet in 1998 and became a Principal Guest Artist in 2003. He recently announced his retirement from the world of classical ballet in order to focus more on contemporary works, also to form a small company along neoclassical and contemporary lines. The dancer, who is now 41 years old is among the world's top ballet dancers. His retirement will be a blow to those companies and artists he guests with, also for the audiences in losing a ballet star from their stages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIC4WSibqzg Acosta had also contemplated the idea of rescuing the ruins of Havana's crumbling dance school and turning it into an international center for culture and dance. In line with his heritage, Acosta was one of 11 children born to a poor Havana family: he studied with the National Ballet of Cuba in his early years so to give this back to Havana would have been a great personal and professional achievement. Acosta recently starred in Cubanía, a mixed programme of vibrant Cuban dance inspired by his homeland. Taking place in July at the Royal Opera House, the world premieres and award-winning contemporary dance were accompanied by a live Cuban band on stage. Uniting dancers and choreographers from the Royal Ballet, Rambert, Cuban National Ballet and Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Acosta danced in a new piece by Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga, and partnered Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky in Edwaard Liang‘s duet Sight Unseen.