Press Release: Carlos Acosta’s Carmen premieres at Sadler's Wells this July

[Jan McNulty]

For immediate release: Tuesday 2 April Acosta Danza Carlos Acosta’s Carmen Sadler’s Wells Theatre  Tuesday 2 July – Saturday 6 July Tickets: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com Sadler’s Wells International Associate Company Acosta Danza presents the UK premiere of Carlos Acosta’s Carmen at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 July 2024.  Carlos Acosta performs in his adaptation of Georges Bizet’s opera, 179 years after Prosper Mérimée’s eponymous story was first published. Don José falls in love with Carmen and sacrifices everything to be with her. When Carmen becomes infatuated with the toreador Escamillo, she loses interest in Don José, whose love quickly turns to murderous jealousy. Acosta plays The Bull, a role he created to represent fate and destiny, which he has been keen to perform since choreographing the piece to mark his retirement from the Royal Ballet. His new version retains the story’s universal and timeless themes in a stripped back setting.   Carlos Acosta invites three Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers; Yaoqian Shang, Javier Rojas and Lachlan Monaghan to guest perform the parts of Carmen, Don José and Escamillo alongside Acosta Danza Principal dancers Laura Rodriguez, Enrique Corrales and Alejandro Silva. Leading dance figures as diverse as choreographers Marius Petipa, Roland Petit, Alberto Alonso, Mats Ek and Richard Alston have all been drawn to this tale of a woman’s overt sexuality and her violent death. The melodies of Bizet’s Carmen have secured the opera’s hold on the popular imagination – Escamillo's ‘Toreador Song’, Carmen’s ‘Habanera’, Don José’s ‘Flower Song’ and many passages for orchestra and chorus are among the most widely known pieces of Western classical music.  Carlos Acosta was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1973. After a late but dazzling start in ballet at the age of 9, he became English National Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer, at 18. He joined the Royal Ballet in London in 1998, where he became an audience favourite. He was awarded a CBE for his contribution to dance in 2014 and retired from classical ballet two years later. In 2015, he also founded his company, Acosta Danza, and has been the director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet since 2020. Carmen is part of Sadler’s Wells year-round Ballet with attitude programme. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta said: “I am very grateful to Sadler’s Wells for the opportunity to present my Carmen as a full length for the very first time. For this occasion, I will be dancing The Bull, a small but very powerful role which represents destiny the master of ceremonies of everyone’s future. I wanted to create a version that feels classical and contemporary at the same time without attaching itself into a specific period. Stripping the narrative of this brilliant story to its very bones.   “I am also very pleased to be working again with Tim Hatley (who created the designs for the original version I choreographed for the Royal Ballet) on some exciting new designs for the production and Nina Dunn who has developed some new projection to help create the atmospheric setting I wanted to convey.”    Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive, Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, said: “I’m delighted to be bringing back Carlos’s company Acosta Danza to Sadler’s Wells following our longstanding support for his mission to bring the best and most talented dancers from his Cuban homeland to London and around the world. It’s an added pleasure that this is the full-length version premiere of his own choreography. I’m personally eager to see Carlos dance in a new expanded role that he has been waiting to play for almost a decade!”   Carlos Acosta’s Carmen is the UK premiere of the full-length version     Acosta Danza is a Sadler’s Wells International Associate Company     Notes to Editors Listing information Company: Acosta Danza  Show: Carlos Acosta’s Carmen Run dates: Tuesday 2 – Saturday 6 July 2024 Tickets: From £15  Running times: 1 hour 40 minutes (35 mins Act 1, 20 mins interval, 45 mins Act 2)   About Acosta Danza   Acosta Danza was created by Carlos Acosta in 2015 to harness and develop the young creative dance talent emerging from Cuba. The ethos of the company is to produce dancers who combine Cuba’s rich musical and dance influences with both classical and contemporary genres and create exciting and stimulating repertoire that pushes conventional boundaries. Acosta Danza has worked with some of the world’s leading choreographers as well as encouraging the emergence and development of new choreography from among its own members. The company performed for the first time at the Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso in Cuba in April 2016 and has since performed across Europe and internationally to great critical acclaim. Acosta Danza is a Sadler’s Wells International Associate Company. Acosta Danza is extremely grateful to its founder sponsor, Aud Jebsen, for her continued and unwavering support throughout our journey to date, as well as Sir Simon Robey, The Ian Taylor Foundation, The Oak Foundation and Alan Howard for their continued support and the generous support of Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet.   About Carlos Acosta Carlos Acosta launched on the global stage after winning the Prix De Lausanne in 1990. He has danced with the world’s most prestigious companies including London’s Royal Ballet performing almost every classical role from Spartacus to Romeo. Carlos has created many award-winning shows throughout his career, has written two books and acted in films including ‘Yuli’ inspired by his life.  In 2015, he founded contemporary dance company Acosta Danza and opened a dance academy in Havana.  Honours include a CBE and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from The Royal Academy of Dance. In 2020, Carlos became Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Carlos is also the Chairman of the Acosta Dance Foundation founded in 2011 and established the internationally renowned Acosta Dance Centre in 2023, serving as a cornerstone for dance excellence in Woolwich, London.   About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.   We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.    Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres – Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.       Sadler’s Wells East    In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin’ Convention.     Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler’s Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.      Supporting artists   Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.        Learning and community links   Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.        Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.       www.sadlerswells.com     Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media      Facebook: @SadlersWells      Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells      Instagram: @sadlers_wells      YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre

[CCL]

Looking forward to seeing this in July

[Geoff]

8 hours ago, CCL said:

Looking forward to seeing this in July

Those of us with memories of the RB production may feel differently…

[DVDfan]

I have only seen the DVD, and even from that I could tell that the piece had fallen flat in 'The House'. However, I thought that there were some good sections and that Acosta showed some talent as a choreographer. The sections were in the wrong order - for example, the fortune teller should be the first scene, or nearly so and setting up the tragedy, not arriving half way through. And then all three leads were miscast, though I thought Bonelli made a good stab at arrogant masculinity, it didn't seem that he really has it in him. Well cast and with some editing and some improvements to the narrative, I think it could be a good piece.

[Jan McNulty]

10 hours ago, CCL said:

Looking forward to seeing this in July

 

Do report back and let us know what you think.  I hope it matches or even exceeds your expectations.

 

I'd love to see what Shang and Lachlan make of the roles...

[LinMM]

I saw a bit of rehearsal for this at the Acosta Centre on a recent trip with London Ballet Circle and it looks terrific ( much more fiery than the recent ENB version I have to say) 

So I went to look at booking this but there are hardly any seats left mostly only restricted view now 😥

Im hoping to get a return nearer the time! 

[CCL]

2 hours ago, Geoff said:

Those of us with memories of the RB production may feel differently…

I didn’t see it and so I will be going with an open mind.

 

47 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Do report back and let us know what you think.  I hope it matches or even exceeds your expectations.

 

I'd love to see what Shang and Lachlan make of the roles...

Thanks Jan, I will certainly report back. I was pleased when I heard there would be extra dancers from BRB!

 

34 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I saw a bit of rehearsal for this at the Acosta Centre on a recent trip with London Ballet Circle and it looks terrific ( much more fiery than the recent ENB version I have to say) 

So I went to look at booking this but there are hardly any seats left mostly only restricted view now 😥

Im hoping to get a return nearer the time! 

I hope you manage to get a seat! 

[Emeralds]

Just to add here for readers who remember only Acosta's Carmen for the Royal Ballet in 2015, Acosta has made changes to it since then. I saw both the Nunez/Acosta/Bonelli (Carmen/Don Jose/Escamillo respectively) cast (premiere, DVD, farewell performance cast) and the Morera/Bonelli/Don Jose cast. and while the first cast are clearly all brilliant dancers, the second cast seemed better suited to the roles they were given in the production.

 

There were some limitations and weaknesses in the choreography then- I couldn't help wondering if it was because Acosta was preparing four casts (many choreographers like McGregor, Scarlett or Wheeldon at the time would have only two) with Nunez, Osipova, Morera and Heap down for the role of Carmen and a bit of juggling around after Osipova had to withdraw due to injury. With not two but three other items on the programme (Viscera, Afternoon of a Faun, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux), and other ballets (Romeo and Juliet, The Two Pigeons and Monotones I & II) being alternated then, the limitations on studio and rehearsal/creation time with company members could have restricted his time to put together and refine his ideas. 

 

The production has been reworked for Acosta Danza abroad since (I haven't seen it but Laurretta Summerscales has mentioned performing Carmen with them as a guest artist on a social media post) and the most notable difference is that he is now presenting it as a full length ballet rather than a short one-act ballet in a mixed bill. 

 

I saw Laura Rodriguez dance the role of Carmen last July with Acosta Danza colleagues in two excerpts at Acosta's Carlos at 50 gala- a pas de deux to the music for Don Jose's Flower Song aria, and a group dance - and it was like an entirely different ballet: it was much, much improved. (Rodriguez is also brilliant in anything, which helps!) There were still a few small areas in the group dance that could have been even better but overall it looked more impressive than the 2015 version.

 

I haven't booked for it as I wanted to see what others thought first. Kudos to Carlos, the tickets are going fast and the Saturday afternoon performance is already sold out. (Unsurprisingly, ticket sales follow the pattern of his Carlos at 50 shows- ie selling out fast before the casting was announced. 😀)

 

I think the Cuban vibe of the Acosta Danza company suits the style of the ballet Carlos had planned in 2015 more comfortably than a classical ballet company dancing it among classical ballet items, so audiences will be in for an interesting show, regardless of whether they like the choreography or not. Looking forward to reading feedback from@CCL, @LinMM and other members attending - good luck with the tickets, LinMM! 🍀 

Edited April 3 by Emeralds

[alison]

I certainly thought that what we saw in "Carlos at 50" was a distinct improvement on the RB performances, and that perhaps it will just suit his own company better.  Plus it's about twice as long as the original version, so who knows?  Still can't decide whether to go and see it, though, so I'd better make up my mind fast. 

[Vanartus]

I saw Tierney Heap dance Carmen - she was amazing! She transformed the ballet and the role - totally threw herself into everything. She had this grittiness and toughness: I thought she channelled Joan Crawford meets 60’s kitchen sink northern drama, in a way that gave the uncertain messiness of the whole concept a real strength, a hook you could hang on the the best of the drama simply through the force of her characterisation. I think the RB lost a real star due her injury.

[Emeralds]

18 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

I saw Tierney Heap dance Carmen - she was amazing! She transformed the ballet and the role - totally threw herself into everything. She had this grittiness and toughness: I thought she channelled Joan Crawford meets 60’s kitchen sink northern drama, in a way that gave the uncertain messiness of the whole concept a real strength, a hook you could hang on the the best of the drama simply through the force of her characterisation. I think the RB lost a real star due her injury.

I would have liked to see Tierney Heap as Carmen! You're right, @Vanartus- the role needs grittiness and toughness rather than "classical ballet style" even though it uses ballet technique. Unfortunately I couldn't make it for Tierney Heap's show- if I recall correctly, she was only given 1 performance?  I do miss seeing her dance,   especially when seeing her in old recordings and photos. 

 

*Also, just to add that I spotted my typo belatedly- Morera/Bonelli/Acosta were the second cast (and not a mystery RB dancer called Don Jose)!