Carlos Acosta Inaugurates Dance Center in London

September 6, 2023

Cuba's premier dancer Carlos Acosta inaugurated the Acosta Dance Centre (ADC) in southeast London, an institution that stands as a reference point internationally for dance practitioners and creative professionals.

The ADC is a dream come true, born from my passion for creating a place where dance can bring together people from all walks of life, to celebrate joy and creativity through movement, the performer wrote on social media.

We strive to be the most reliable place in the United Kingdom for dance creation and networking, committed to maintaining the highest standards of artistic quality and innovation, the artist noted in his opening message.

According to the official website, the center is located in Woolwich Works, an inspiring cultural space, nestled on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich Royal Arsenal.

It has a multifaceted approach that encompasses dance education, workshops and cultural events, while fostering creativity and talent among young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As we embark together on this exciting journey, Acosta warned, we joyfully embrace the rich Cuban cultural legacy, celebrating our shared identity, diversity and unlimited creativity.

You will have the opportunity to take classes in ballet, contemporary dance, Afro-Cuban or popular dance forms rooted in Cuban culture, the dancer highlighted to the British BBC network.

It will offer ballet classes, rumba, dance for the orishas, salsa for beginners and casino wheels, as well as flamenco and afrobeat, among others.

Carlos Acosta enjoys prodigious feet and virtuosity that allowed him to honorably place the name of Cuban dance on the world's greatest stages.

His work was inscribed in a special way at the Royal Ballet of London, a company he honored with his entry in 1998, and where he was promoted to principal guest dancer in 2003.

With that company, his proven abilities earned him in 2014 the medal of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), received from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

A year later he bid farewell to the renowned ensemble, but not to the London stage, as since 2020 he has directed the Royal Ballet of Birmingham and is a member of the Board of Governors of The Royal Ballet School.

He recently returned to the stage of the Royal Opera House in London as a celebration of his half century of life and alongside him thousands danced in his homeland as a show of affection for one who carries in his heart and feet the dance of all Cuba.