One of the most influential figures in the world of modern ballet, Carlos Acosta will be in Venice for the first time with his Cuban company, Acosta Danza.
Invited by the Dance Biennale director Wayne McGregor, the Cuban choreographer presents a show that intersects classical, modern, urban, Afro, and Latino dance. The show’s title, Ajiaco, is taken from a tasty Cuban dish, rich in ingredients and spices. Acosta blends choreographies by four creators, different in generation and style: Micaela Taylor, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alexis Fernández, and Javier de Frutos.
Ajiaco is a mix of fine ingredients, for tasty, inebriating flavours. It starts with Performance, by Micaela Taylor: a mix of hip-hop and classical ballet.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun is a re-reading of Nijinsky’s classical modern ballet L’après-midi d’un faune on an arrangement of Debussy’s music by Nitin Sawhney for a double take, primordial and modern, on a piece of cultural heritage.
Alexis Fernández takes us to Havana with De punta a cabo, a reflection on modern Cuba.
Ending the offer is Javier de Frutos’ 98 Días, a journey into the 1920s that enticed Federico García Lorca. “In that scintillating epoch of Cuban history, Federico felt home, and closer to his roots than he had ever been. He was supposed to spend a week in Cuba, on his way back to Spain from New York. In the end, he spent ninety-eight days there – in his words: the happiest of his life. 98 Días is an ode not only to García Lorca, but to all foreigners who find themselves enthralled by an irresistible force.”
Featured image: De punta a cabo, Alexis Fernández, © Hugo Glendinning
