Dancer and choreographer Carlos Acosta is one of ballet’s leading figures, having danced for 17 years as a permanent member of the Royal Ballet and appeared as a guest artist at companies across the globe. He has danced with the English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and National Ballet of Cuba amongst others, and has latterly established himself as a choreographer and artistic director.

After studying at the Cuban National Ballet School, Acosta was soon being offered roles with dance companies throughout the Americas and Europe, including Italy’s Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino, the Venezuelan Teatro Teresa Carreño, and the English National Ballet. He later joined the Houston Ballet as principle dancer, where he made his US stage debut as the Prince in the Nutcracker. In 1998, he took up an invitation to London’s Royal Ballet, where he would remain for the best part of two decades, albeit continuing to appear as a guest artist across the world during this time.

Acosta’s performances in Le Corsaire and Coppélia have both been televised on the BBC, and he was featured in an episode of Alan Yentob’s Imagine. On film, he has appeared in New York, I Love You and in the 2019 biopic of his own life, Yuli, based on his autobiography No Way Home. It was announced in 2019 that Acosta was to become the artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet the following year, continuing his reign at the heart of the UK’s dance scene. He has been nominated for an Olivier Award, earned the prestigious Prix Benois de la Dance, and was honoured with a CBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list for services to ballet.