Acosta Danza dazzles in Washington with "Cuban Eclectic": tremendous ovation at the Kennedy Center

May 14, 2025

The Cuban company Acosta Danza won over audiences this weekend at the emblematic Kennedy Center in Washington with its Cuban Eclectic show. Various reports account for the positive impression made on the thousands of people who attended the Eisenhower Theater for the three performances.

It was a show where dance merged with music, lighting, and costumes in perfect harmony, elements that, far from being simple supports, became protagonists alongside the dancers, reported the Prensa Latina agency.

"The nerves came out the first night," confessed Yaday Ponce, artistic director of the collective. "We had little rehearsal time, but the details are only something we teachers notice, because the public reacted super well, they really welcomed us very happily," she emphasized to the cited media.

Ponce explained in the same way that "Acosta Danza from the beginning Carlos designed it as a company that brings together all specialties, that is, in dance, contemporary technique, folklore, Cuban technique, we are as he says a great ajiaco and that is what we want to convey".

And she was especially delighted that the new generation was up to the challenge and knew how to continue with the legacy of the founders, because "very few remain, so we have been able to maintain that continuation," she added.

The staging consisted of five pieces, starting with Satori (2018, choreography by Raúl Pedroso), Faun (2017, by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui), Paysage, Soudain, La nuit (2018, by Pontus Lidberg), Impronta (2017, by María Rovira) and ending with De Punta a Cabo (2016, by Alexis Fernández).

For Patricia Torres, a member of the group of 11 dancers who traveled to the U.S. capital, performing for the first time in such a prestigious venue left her with beautiful emotions and experiences. "We felt our skin stand on end, the shared energy that reached the people in the audience and they returned it to us with the ovation, the applause," she revealed.

For her part, Alicia Adams, vice president of dance and international programming at the Kennedy Center, recognized that "Carlos Acosta is one of the most celebrated dancers and choreographers, whose skills were perfected at Alicia Alonso's National Ballet of Cuba before becoming a soloist with the Royal Ballet".

The company returned to Havana after the performances which extended through Saturday night and, after a brief stopover, will head to the United Kingdom, where they have new commitments.