“It's very important that we expose this work early on, so that
people from different cultures see ballet as a way of a career.
But in the 1990s or 2000s, it was pretty much closed, we didn't
have - even in school - a lot of black ballet dancers from which
to choose from. But now, obviously, things have moved on. Now,
diversity is at the top of every director's agenda… it's great
that we’ve seen a big shift and we see the right kind of
representation of the world as we have it today, on stage.”
Michael Berkeley speaks to ballet star Carlos Acosta about his
life and career.
Born in 1973, Acosta grew up in a poor part of Havana, where he
was the 11th child in a very large family.
He began training at the National Ballet School of Cuba at 9
years old, and quickly rose to prominence. At 18, he became the
youngest principal dancer at the English National Ballet.
After gaining further international experience, Acosta joined the
Royal Ballet in 1998 - making it his home for nearly two decades,
and performing every major classical role. Such was his impact,
in 2014 he received a CBE in Queen Elizabeth’s honours list for
services to ballet.
Now the Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, he’s fostered some
unexpected collaborations, including a show based on the music of
the city’s heavy rock legends Black Sabbath, as well as classics
like Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.
Thank you to the Private Passions team for their help in making
this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with
people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best
interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Oscar-winning
filmmaker Sir Christopher Nolan, music icon Chaka Khan, and
artist Tracey Emin. You can listen on the BBC World Service on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to
The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Michael Berkeley Producers: Ben Cooper and Clare
Walker Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the
hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Carlos Acosta. Credit: Tolga
Akmen/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.