Dance: Island dreams

Acosta Danza Yunior
Next Generation
artistic director Carlos Acosta
dancers Carolina Monteagudo, Heidy Núñez, Maria del Carmen Pantoja, Paul Brando, Alexander Arias, Alejandro Figueredo, Ernesto Muñoz, Noel Sánchez, Anthony Quevedo, Edgar Quintero
teacher Maylin Castillo • company manager Rayselis Rodriguez
technical director Pedro Benitez • sound Jose Acedo
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 17-20.Jun.26 ★★★★

Graduates from Carlos Acosta's Cuban dance academy take the stage for a programme that bursts with youthful energy and strength. Each of the four pieces has strong echoes of Caribbean culture, catching the vibes of life on a tropical island while also reflecting larger social issues. Fluidly choreographed, this is a riveting show, and a promising look at the future of dance.

Fuga, choreographed by Susana Pous, opens with a group of dancers languishing in the sunshine on a spotlit square of green in the middle of the stage with the sounds of the sea. Their movement starts gradually, as they awaken and start to interact, looking beyond their shores to another life but refusing to let others go. They smoothly shift, roll and stretch both individually and communally. And as they begin to escape, it becomes strikingly moving. 

In a red frame around the edge of the stage, a pair of dancers (a girl in black and a boy in red) take a playfully exploratory journey around the space, spinning and echoing each other in complex textures of interaction. This is an eye-catching display of athleticism, using balance and flexibility to create a deconstructed take on both ballroom and ballet, with added drama!

Inspired by René Magritte's series The Lover, Kit Holder's Capriccio begins with two male dancers whose heads are wrapped together in a sheet; one flexes his muscles in casual wear, the other is in a suit. They move together in silence, pushing and pulling each other reactively. This duality is echoed in individual solos, performed alternatively side-by-side, leading to a stunning duet featuring dazzling choreographical flourishes. Their expressive chemistry is astonishing.

Finally, Juliano Nunes' Mundo Interpretado (Interpreted World) is framed by a floating field of water lilies designed by artist Glenda León. Beneath this, six dancers execute big moves together along to the rhythmic music. This mesmerising piece evolves into various solos, duets and group moments, progressing through sexy lifts, flips and flight, as the sound of waves returns. The interlocking movement is gorgeous, shifting from an edgy struggle into the blissful joy of balletic precision.

This is a beautiful show full of powerful physicality, mixing classical and modern dance with acrobatics. And the cleverly understated costumes perfectly augment each piece. The movement is so expressive that we feel like we are breathing in sync with these gifted dancers. Their youthful spark adds a terrific kick to the entire programme, revealing their serious strength and talent while hinting at much more to come.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Jayne Jackson, Yuris Nórido • 17.Jun.26