Top ballet star Carlos Acosta calls Plymouth 'great' and makes New York comparison

One of the world’s top ballet stars has called Plymouth “great” while comparing it to New York. Cuban-British dancer and director Carlos Acosta praised the city after his version of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake wowed audiences at Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Acosta, who lives in the South West, lauded Britain’s Ocean City in a lengthy interview with the Financial Times. But he also said that as great as Plymouth is, his ballet would not face the same intense competition and security as it would in the Big Apple.

Acosta said that when touring internationally, dancers had to constantly “up your game”. He said: “This is a touring company and I need them to think worldwide, because once we go to New York it’s not the same as dancing in Plymouth. You know what I mean? Plymouth is great, but in New York you’ve got strong competition.”

Born in Havana, 49-year-old Acosta now lives in Somerset with his wife and three daughters. He has danced with the Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba and the American Ballet Theatre, winning many awards for outstanding performances.

In 2020 he was appointed director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, one of the world’s top companies. This month it brought Swan Lake to TRP, described as a “stunning production” in PlymouthLive’s review.

The Birmingham troupe will return to TRP in the autumn when it performs Black Sabbath - the Ballet, from |October 12 to 14. The idea of a Black Sabbath ballet had been on Carlos Acosta’s mind since he took the Birmingham job.

The heavy metal pioneers are from Britain's Second City. Acosta said: “Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export, the most famous - and infamous - cultural entity to ever emerge from the city - so I was naturally drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners.