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39-699: Birmingham Royal Ballet ( BRB ) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet , the English National Ballet , Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet . Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet , the company was established in 1946 as a sister company to the earlier Sadler's Wells company, which moved to the Royal Opera House that same year, subsequently becoming known as The Royal Ballet . The new company

78-399: A music director , generally a conductor by profession, though this is often a part-time position. The music director has a lower status in ballet than they have in opera, where they are the head of the company. Freelance conductors are hired to conduct specific productions as and when required. Large companies have their own orchestra , which is often shared with an opera company resident in

117-650: A "Curated by Carlos" festival, and special performances with Alessandra Ferri . Acosta was born in Havana , Cuba, on 2 June 1973, the 11th and last child in an impoverished family. His father, Pedro Acosta, was a truck driver, and his mother, Dulce Maria Quesada, often suffered from health problems. Acosta grew up with no toys, sometimes went shoeless, and did not even have a birthday cake until he turned 23. The streets of his neighbourhood provided plenty of entertainment, however, and he spent his time playing football, break-dancing, and raiding nearby mango groves with his friends. He

156-604: A film by Cynthia Newport featuring Acosta and other former members of the National Ballet of Cuba , took place at the Miami International Film Festival . Acosta also appeared as a main character in the Natalie Portman -directed segment of New York, I Love You . Acosta's life story is told in the 2018 film Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story , in part of which he plays his adult self; he was nominated for

195-651: A film titled "Empty Stage," scored by a song of the same name written and performed by American songwriter Benjamin Scheuer, who was accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia orchestra. The film was called "dazzling...a dance-lover's dream" by the Huffington Post. In 1997, CBS News filmed Acosta for a special report for their programme 60 Minutes (broadcast in January 1998), following him during his performances for

234-611: A gender-neutral hierarchy. Some companies (mainly in Russia and countries strongly influenced by Russian ballet ) employ specialist character dancers : unlike ballerinas female character dancers do not dance en pointe . The largest ballet company in the world is the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, which employs over 240 dancers, as of 2010. The largest companies in Western Europe and North America employ around one hundred. Many companies have

273-624: A gold medal. Acosta, of mixed Spanish and African heritage, came to prominence in the early 1990s while still in his teens, and North American and European dance companies began offering him lead romantic roles over the next decade. After approximately five years in Houston, Acosta joined London's Royal Ballet in 1998. With his fabled grace and athleticism, he has earned comparisons to Mikhail Baryshnikov or Rudolf Nureyev . A writer for London's Independent newspaper described Acosta as "a dancer who slashes across space faster than anyone else, who lacerates

312-511: A growing schedule of international guest appearances and tours. He celebrated his farewell after 17 years at The Royal Ballet, dancing his last performance in November 2015 in Carmen , which he both choreographed and starred in. In January 2020, Acosta was appointed as director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, succeeding David Bintley . In February, he announced the plans for his inaugural season, including

351-422: A loss at the box office and depend on external financial support of one kind or another. In Europe, most of this support comes in the form of government subsidies, though private donations are usually solicited as well. In North America, private donations are the main source of external funding. Many ballet companies have an associated school which trains dancers. Traditionally the school would provide almost all of

390-526: A permanent staff of craftsmen and craftswomen such as prop makers and costume makers, and technical staff such as lighting technicians and stage managers. Smaller companies hire freelancers for these roles as and when required. Some companies also have physiotherapists , masseurs , and physical trainers on the staff. The term " ballet " is sometimes used to refer to dance styles in any culture's classical tradition, mainly about classical styles of dance performed in parts of Asia. Classical Ramayana Hindu ballet

429-558: A programme in the Imagine series shown on BBC1 on 9 July 2003 and presented by Alan Yentob . Acosta was also interviewed for the BBC's HARDtalk programme that was broadcast on Christmas Day 2003. In 2006, he was filmed in the BBC studios performing a dance from Tocororo , which was broadcast on the Newsnight programme. On 5 February 2004, the world première of Dance Cuba: Dreams of Flight ,

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468-504: Is a Cuban-British ballet director and retired dancer who is director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet . He danced with many companies, including the English National Ballet , National Ballet of Cuba , Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre . He was a permanent member of The Royal Ballet from 1998 to 2015. In 2003, he was promoted to principal guest artist, a rank that reduced his commitment, enabling him to concentrate on

507-1115: Is often performed in Indonesia . The Royal Ballet of Cambodia is an example of a ballet company in the Eastern tradition. The companies listed below are ballet companies that perform according to the European tradition, although some international companies also perform contemporary ballets that merge Western and Eastern themes and dance techniques. Algeria Egypt Tunisia South Africa Armenia Azerbaijan China Hong Kong Indonesia Iran Israel Japan Kazakhstan Mongolia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand Uzbekistan Austria Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Greece Germany Hungary Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Moldova Monaco Netherlands Carlos Acosta Carlos Yunior Acosta Quesada CBE (born 2 June 1973)

546-678: Is performed live on stage by a group of five Cuban musicians. Acosta chose the 17-strong company from dancers in Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, the Cuban National Ballet and Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. The "young protagonist" is played by Yonah Acosta, Acosta's younger nephew, and for six performances the central role was played by José Oduardo Perez. Acosta is married to the English writer and former model Charlotte Holland, and they have three children. His nephew Yonah Acosta

585-529: The Goya Award for Best New Actor for his work. Tocororo is Acosta's own ballet and has been touring theatres worldwide to high acclaim. Tocororo is the story of a young Cuban boy who leaves his family and home in the Cuban countryside to find a new life in a city. It is loosely based on Acosta's own life experiences. It is set to original music by Miguel Nuñez, which blends popular and symphonic Cuban styles and

624-822: The Houston Ballet and relaxing with friends and family in Cuba. His television performances include two live BBC broadcasts from The Royal Opera House : the Opening Celebration in December 1999 when Acosta performed the Man's Solo in Le Corsaire , and in February 2000 the role of Franz in Ninette de Valois ' Coppélia . Most recently Acosta was featured in "The Reluctant Ballet Dancer" ,

663-813: The Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries and a studio theatre known as the Patrick Centre . In 1997, the Birmingham Royal Ballet became independent of The Royal Ballet in London. In 1926, the Irish-born dancer Ninette de Valois founded the Academy of Choreographic Art , a dance school for girls. Her intention was to form a repertory ballet company and school, leading her to collaborate with

702-698: The 1991/92 season. He made his debut in the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and also appeared in Cinderella , partnering Eva Evdokimova and Ludmila Semenyaka , Le Spectre de la Rose , Les Sylphides and as the Prince in Ben Stevenson 's The Nutcracker . In 1992 and 1993, Acosta was a member of the National Ballet of Cuba under the artistic director Alicia Alonso , rising to principal dancer in 1994. In October 1993 and September 1994 he toured with

741-714: The 2002/2003 season he made his debut as the title role in George Balanchine 's Apollo . He has created roles in Ashley Page 's Hidden Variables and William Tuckett's 3:4 . Acosta was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to ballet. Acosta was a guest artist with the American Ballet Theatre during the company's Metropolitan Opera House season in

780-523: The Birmingham Hippodrome theatre. Consequently, the company relocated to Birmingham in 1990, being given its current name Birmingham Royal Ballet . Sir Peter Wright was the company's Artistic Director from 1977 until his retirement in 1995, when David Bintley was appointed Artistic Director. In 1997, Birmingham Royal Ballet was made independent of the Royal Ballet and ceased to be managed by

819-576: The English theatrical producer and theatre owner Lilian Baylis . Baylis owned the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres, and in 1925, she engaged de Valois to stage dance performances at both venues. Sadler's Wells reopened in 1931, and the Vic-Wells Ballet and Vic-Wells Ballet School were established in premises at the theatre. These would become the predecessors of today's Royal Ballet , Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School . In 1939,

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858-678: The Paris Opera Ballet. In recent years, Acosta has had a career as an international guest artist, appearing in the US, Russia, the Netherlands, Chile, Argentina, Greece, Japan, Italy, Germany and France. In June 2008 he guested for the first time with the Australian Ballet , in Jerome Robbins ' Afternoon of a Faun , partnered by AB principal Kirsty Martin . In January 2020, Carlos Acosta

897-477: The Royal Opera House. In January 2019 it was announced that acclaimed Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta would succeed Bintley as artistic director in January 2020. The Birmingham Royal Ballet employs 61 dancers and a complete list as of 2024 is shown below. The company also has an Executive, Artistic and Music staff, including the following: Source Ballet company Ballet companies routinely make

936-450: The Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet was John Field , who was later made co-director of the Royal Ballet and also worked as artistic director of La Scala Theatre Ballet and English National Ballet . In 1955, Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet temporarily lost its link with Sadler's Wells theatre and relocated to the Royal Opera House as a touring unit of the main company. In 1956, a royal charter

975-705: The air with shapes so clear and sharp they seem to throw off sparks". From 1989 to 1991, Acosta performed throughout the world, guesting with many companies, including the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino in Italy, where he danced alongside Luciana Savignano , and the Teatro Teresa Carreño in Venezuela. At the invitation of Ivan Nagy , Acosta danced with the English National Ballet in London during

1014-562: The company lost its link with the Old Vic theatre, and in 1940, Sadler's Wells theatre was bombed during World War II. These events forced the company to begin touring the country, becoming known as the Sadler's Wells Ballet. The company did return to Sadler's Wells theatre, where it stayed until 1946, when the company was invited to become the resident ballet company of the newly re-opened Royal Opera House in Covent Garden . The company relocated to

1053-640: The company to Madrid, where he danced various roles including Albrecht in Giselle , Basilio in Don Quixote and Siegfried in Swan Lake . In November 1993, he was invited by Ben Stevenson , the artistic director of Houston Ballet , to join the company as a principal dancer, and Acosta made his American stage debut as the Prince in The Nutcracker . Following this, his repertory included: In 1997, he created

1092-472: The company's dancers, something which helped to create clear distinctions in style between companies, but 21st-century ballet has open hiring practices, and many ballet companies have a very international staff. The head of a ballet company is called the artistic director . He or she is usually a retired dancer, and often they choreograph some of the company's productions themselves. In a large company, they will have one or more assistants. Day-to-day coaching of

1131-441: The corps de ballet and may be unpaid. Some companies further subdivide these grades, and the terminology used varies from company to company. In the 19th century and early to mid-20th century the top female dancer was often recognized as the prima ballerina , but this practice has ceased. Male and female dancers were historically split into separate hierarchies (for more information see ballerina ). Today, many companies choose to use

1170-562: The dancers is the responsibility of one or more ballet masters and ballet mistresses . Some companies also employ répétiteurs and dance notators . There is often a resident choreographer . All but the smallest companies divide their dancers into at least three grades. The most common names for the two higher grades in English are principal and soloist and the junior dancers form the corps de ballet . Some companies (especially in North America) have trainees or apprentices, who rank below

1209-474: The opera house the same year in 1946, with their first production at the venue being Ninette de Valois' staging of The Sleeping Beauty . Following the relocation of the company, the school was relocated to its own premises in 1947, and a sister company was established to continue performances at Sadler's Wells, called Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet . This sister company would become the predecessor of today's Birmingham Royal Ballet. The first Artistic Director of

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1248-555: The role of Frederick in Stevenson's Dracula and in 1998 he added the role of Misgir in the première of Stevenson's ballet The Snow Maiden , partnering Nina Ananiashvili . In 1998, Acosta joined The Royal Ballet , London, under the direction of Anthony Dowell . His roles with the company have included: In the 1999/2000 season, he performed: During the 2001/2 season, he made his debut as Basilio in Nureyev's Don Quixote , and in

1287-482: The same theatre or opera house. Smaller companies hire a local orchestra on a contract basis for each season of performances, or hire a scratch orchestra for specific performances, e.g. when they are on tour. During company classes and rehearsals, music is provided by one or more staff or freelance pianists. All but the smallest companies have a separate administrative staff that deals with marketing, accounts, personnel issues, logistics and so on. Larger companies employ

1326-881: The summer of 2002, when he performed Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty Act III , Oberon in The Dream , Colas in La Fille mal gardée and Conrad in Le Corsaire . He rejoined the ABT (under artistic director Kevin McKenzie ) as Principal Dancer, for the company's 2003 autumn season at New York City Center , to perform in the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and a new staging of Raymonda (Grand Pas Classique) . He has performed Basilio in Nureyev 's version of Don Quixote , as well as Solor in Nureyev 's La Bayadère , with

1365-634: The world premiere of Chacona, a new duet for Acosta and ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri, by Acosta Danza’s Goyo Montero. Birmingham Royal Ballet was also scheduled to perform Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote at the Birmingham International Dance Festival in June 2020, though this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In February 2021, Acosta and the BRB premiered their first digital commission,

1404-505: Was an over-energetic child, and his father felt that his youngest son would soon land in serious trouble. Dance training at one of the state-funded schools, his father decided, would teach the boy discipline and provide him with a free lunch every day. He studied ballet at the Cuban National Ballet School with many influential teachers, including Ramona de Sáa. In June 1991 he received his diploma with maximum qualifications and

1443-418: Was appointed as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet , succeeding David Bintley . In February, he announced the plans for his inaugural season, including a "Curated by Carlos" festival, and special performances with renowned ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri. In February, Acosta announced the plans for his inaugural 2020-2021 season. Plans included the three-week "Curated by Carlos" summer festival, which included

1482-513: Was formed under the direction of John Field and remained at Sadler's Wells for many years, becoming known as the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1977. It also toured the UK and abroad, before relocating to Birmingham in 1990, where it uses the Birmingham Hippodrome stage when performing in the city. Birmingham Royal Ballet has extensive custom-built facilities, including a suite of dance studios,

1521-537: Was granted for both companies and the school, and they were subsequently renamed the Royal Ballet , Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School . The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells theatre in 1970, whilst continuing to tour the country. The first indication that the company would leave London came in 1987, when the company was invited to become the resident ballet company at

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