Acosta Danza announces the UK premiere and tour of a new double bill: Cuban Baroque which blends the artistry of the Baroque period with the energy, creativity, and vibrancy of Cuban dance. Emerging from the 17th- and 18th Centuries, the artistic movement was characterised by rich colour, elaborate detail, and intricate decoration.
Carlos Acosta said, “I am very excited about this programme which will encapsulate the essence of Acosta Danza, fusing as it will, classical, Cuban and contemporary vocabularies and styles. I am, of course, a big fan of both choreographers and am delighted that Andonis will create a brand-new piece on my dancers. I look forward to seeing how that develops over the coming months. The flavour of the evening is summarised neatly by the title Cuban Baroque, but essentially this is a programme that anyone interested in any kind of dance can enjoy. I look forward, as always, to seeing how audiences react to the atmosphere this programme will create in the theatres.”
The show opens with the world premiere of a new work by Andonis Foniadakis, which explores the classic chaconne looping structure, cycling through phases of acceleration, fracture, and rebound. Set to a live performance of Esteban Sallas’ Salve Regina, the score shifts from Baroque lyricism to Cuban drive, showcasing the fusion between memory and contemporary.
Andonis Foniadakis said, “The piece is being built as a chaconne in the broadest sense: a looping architecture that keeps circling back to the same theme like a mantra, each return opening a new variation in colour, density and impulse. Cuban rhythmic principles will seep into the texture (clave, layered pulses, dance-derived momentum) and begin to tilt the baroque theme from within – bringing Sallas’ music fully into the present. In this dialogue, contrast becomes fusion: baroque memory meets Cuban propulsion; choral breath meets percussive drive; live sound meets a discreet electronic halo – shaping a single energetic trajectory that stays clear, intense, and emotionally resonant.”
The second half features Goyo Montero’s powerful Chacona, originally created for the Staatstheater Nürnberg Ballett during Montero’s 17-year tenure as director. Chacona is the final movement of Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D Minor for violin, accompanied here by guitar and piano. Classical in sound and contemporary in movement, the 16-dancer ensemble moves in complete cohesion in this physically and musically demanding piece.
Goyo Montero said, “This is going to be my fourth collaboration with Acosta Danza since 2015. To bring this work to them and adapt it to their fearless and exceptional dancers is something I am looking forward to very much. To restage this early work and revisit it for them will develop the work further and keep it alive, relevant and ever changing, a choreographer’s dream!”
Cuban Baroque will premiere at York Theatre Royal on Thursday 1 October and run until Saturday 3 October. The following week it will run at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October and the final venue for the autumn will be Norwich Theatre Royal on Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 October. More UK tour dates for Spring 2027 will be announced.
For the latest Acosta Danza news, visit www.acostadanza.com.
