Spring Dance: A New Company from Cuba and Old Favorites from Jerome Robbins
If you want to see the work of one of the dance world's most fascinating performers and one of its most influential choreographers, put these two shows on your calendar.
First, at New York City Center is "Acosta Danza: Debut" from the Cuban-born ballet superstar Carlos Acosta. Acosta has danced all over the world, but most recently, returned to his native country to found his own dance company in Havana. His dancers will bring a mix of contemporary and ballet dance to the main stage of the ¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival from April 25 through 27.
As WNYC's dance critic Marina Harss tells Richard Hake, Acosta himself will dance, which is "always a treat."
Then the following week, a celebration, this time at New York City Ballet. The company will celebrate the 100th birthday of the NYCB co-founder choreographer, famous for both his ballets and his work on Broadway, Jerome Robbins. At the three-week "Jerome Robbins 100 Festival," dancers will perform some of his most beloved work, including pieces from "Fancy Free," "The Cage," "Dances at a Gathering" and "West Side Story."
In the Robbins festival, Harss says she's most looking forward to "In G Major," a ballet "that's kind of like a long, hot summer" with a "wonderful ambiance."
[To hear the full interview, click on "Listen" above.]
"Acosta Danza: Debut," part of the ¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., New York, NY. April 25 - 27, 2018
"Jerome Robbins 100" at the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY. May 3 - 10, 2018
