The Stage

Carlos Acosta - Afternoon of a Faun/Suite of Dances/Young Apollo/Apollo

Published Friday 10 July 2009 at 11:15 by Natalie Anglesey

Described as the greatest male dancer of his generation, Carlos Acosta was the hit of the first Manchester International Festival two years ago and returns in a quartet of work with the generic theme of the male muse in ballet.

Opening with Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, set to Debussy’s lyrical score, this homage to the original choreography and the great Nijinsky is charming, but hardly a challenging piece for this accomplished artist.

The second Robbins’ piece, A Suite of Dances, created for Mikhail Baryshnikov, is set to four Bach movements for cello, beautifully played by Natalie Clein. Acosta brings an easy grace to this humorous conversation between music and movement.

Although there was initial disappointment that the Cuban star would not perform the newly commissioned Young Apollo, set to Benjamin Britten’s composition of the same name, such is the explosive brilliance of this piece, choreographed by rising star Adam Hougland and superbly danced by Junor de Oliveira Souza and Anais Chalendard, that it was enthusiastically received. Indeed, it provides the most challenging choreography of the evening.

But Acosta fans were finally in for a treat with Balanchine’s Apollo, danced to specially composed music by Stravinsky. This work demonstrates Acosta’s mastery of the purely classical style, combining and contrasting quicksilver footwork with powerful punching arm movements.

This delightful programme, with music played by the BBC Philharmonic, provides the perfect showcase for this charismatic performer at the peak of his prowess.