• News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us

Logo

Navigation
  • Art News
  • Art Listings
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Auctions
    • Workshops
    • Talks
    • Guided Tours
    • Festivals, Markets, Parties
    • Kids’ & Families’ Events
    • Performances
    • Film
    • Open Calls
  • Art Venues

da:ns festival 2019: Acosta Danza

Mermaid by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Photo credit: Johan Persson

Following an exceptional career, acclaimed international ballet superstar Carlos Acosta brings his company Acosta Danza to da:ns festival for its first performance in Singapore.

Raised in an impoverished district of Havana, Acosta’s talent and drive fuelled a meteoric rise that saw him become the first Cuban principal dancer of London’s Royal Ballet and one of the most celebrated dancers in the world. This international mixed bill includes works which pay tribute to Acosta’s Cuba and presents the exceptional talent from his beloved country. Dancers from the company combine both classical and contemporary dance effortlessly, imbibed with Cuba’s rich musical and dance influences.

In the programme are two enchanting duets on mythical creatures by the renowned choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, with Mermaid featuring a rare guest appearance by Acosta. Like a fish out of water trying to walk on dry land, or a stranger in unknown territory, the mermaid looks for help and guidance. With fluid virtuosity, she slithers like a human wave around Acosta’s deft partnering. The second duet, Faun, is inspired by the 1912 ballet by Vaslav Nijinsky, L’après midi d’un faune, set to Debussy’s original score with additional music from Nitin Sawhney. The reprised dance of desire between a faun and a forest nymph takes on a new lithe, loose-limbed strangeness. The original Debussy score has been framed in a multi-layered soundscape with electronic and South Asian undertones by Sawhney.

In Paysage, Soudain, La Nuit (Landscape, Suddenly, The Night) Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg connects to the soul of Cuba. The light and lively piece is set in a field at twilight, its playful choreography pulsing with the rhythms of the Cuban rumba as dancers spin and leap in through buoyant ensembles and duets. The programme is rounded off with the energetic Alrededor No Hay Nada (There is nothing around) by Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero. The ensemble moves through a series of dramatic tableaux coloured with jumps and acrobatic lifts, sliding and leaping in and out of light and darkness to spoken poems and jazz songs by Joaquin Sabina and Vinicius de Morais. The work is a reflection on human relationships and the Latino-American reality, speaking of the need to live fully in the present as tomorrow may not come.

With the support of Sadler’s Wells in London and Valid Productions, Acosta Danza is driven by Acosta’s vision to give the next generation of Cuban dancers world-class opportunities. The company has received international ovations as an exciting new force in dance.

Produced by Sadler’s Wells and Valid Productions.

When: 10 - 11 Oct 2019, 8pm - 9.20pm (including 20min intermission)

By: Esplanade

Share this story:
  • tweet

Comments are closed.

Art Calendar

SAGG on Facebook

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 day 21 hours ago

www.eco-business.com/press-releases/uob-partners-sg-eco-fund-to-bring-sustainability-and-art-to-the-community/

UOB partners SG Eco Fund to bring sustainability and art to the community

UOB, one of Singapore’s leading banks, and the SG Eco Fund have announced a two-year partnership to drive greater community awareness of sustainability and art.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 week 1 day ago

www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/eight-singapore-indie-booksellers-launch-bookshop-sg-as-amazon-alternative

Eight Singapore indie booksellers launch Bookshop.sg as Amazon alternative

The online store, which launches on May 14, describes itself as an act of "radical cooperation". Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 week 3 days ago

www.asiaone.com/singapore/over-50k-gold-coins-cash-stolen-veteran-artist-koeh-sia-yongs-home-while-he-was-bali

Over $50k in gold coins, cash stolen from veteran artist Koeh Sia Yong's home while he was in Bali

SINGAPORE — While veteran Singaporean artist Koeh Sia Yong was away in Indonesia for nearly two months earlier in 2025, his bedroom drawers back home were emptied of more than $50,000 in valuables. The 87-year-old returned to his two-bedroom unit at The Interlace condo in Depot Road on March 15 to...

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 week 5 days ago

danamic.org/2025/05/11/order-is-essential-what-we-learnt-about-fernando-zobel-at-his-national-gallery-exhibit/

Order is Essential: What We Learnt about Fernando Zóbel at his National Gallery Exhibit

Come learn with us about the life, thoughts and works of Fernando Zóbel in a truly transcontinental exhibition that's open right now!

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

4 weeks 3 hours ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/how-one-man-made-nude-art-possible-singapore

How one man made nude art possible in Singapore

Yeo Workshop celebrates the legacy of Solamalay Namasivayam, who fought for nude figure drawing when it was still considered 'indecent'. Today, nude figure drawing is a cornerstone of artist training in Singapore Read more at The Business Times.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 3 weeks ago

www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/lifestyle/robert-zhao-hong-kong-art-week

Robert Zhao Might Be One Of The Best Singaporean Artists That You’ve Never Heard Of, Until Now

We caught up with the creative mastermind behind CHARLES & KEITH’s latest Artist In Residence project.

2
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 4 weeks ago

cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/style-beauty/plain-prints-project-shirts-menswear-461761

This Singapore fashion brand only makes shirts that make you feel like you’re wearing art

If statement-making shirts are your thing, you’d definitely find multiples styles to like from Plain Prints Project’s designs.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 3 days ago

www.prestigeonline.com/sg/lifestyle/art-plus-design/artists-to-watch-2025-singapore-and-hong-kong/

Artists to watch 2025: Singapore and Hong Kong

We identify emerging talents from eight East Asian countries that should all be on your cultural radar this year.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 3 days ago

www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/singapore-and-japan-team-create-art-installation-7km-ocean

Singapore and Japan team up to create art installation 7km in the ocean

In 2022, Lakshmi Mohanbabu became the first Singaporean to send her artwork into space. Fast forward a couple of years and the local artist, alongside tech firm NuStar and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is part of another groundbreaking project. This time, she has her art installation heade...

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 4 days ago

www.timeout.com/singapore/news/a-new-arts-venue-focusing-on-immersive-experiences-will-open-at-gardens-by-the-bay-this-2025-031925

A new arts venue focusing on immersive experiences will open at Gardens by the Bay this 2025

This new attraction in Singapore has a special zone for multi-sensory projection art and a gallery space for mixed media

2
1
View on Facebook
Share
  • News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
© 2020. Singapore Art & Gallery Guide
We use cookies that are necessary for the website's functions. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoRead more