IN VIDEO: Acosta Danza without Leaving Home

In the first days of May, Acosta Danza, the company directed by the first dancer Carlos Acosta, was going to present a season at Alicia Alonso Grand Theater in Havana. But the health emergency called it off.

The company had to close: plans were postponed. But a professional dancer cannot afford to stay idle for that long. And Carlos Acosta recommends his cast not to stop: you have to train, you have to dance, you have to keep doing art.

To the daily exercise routines and individual classes he added another initiative: a video dance to share on social networks.

It is not a simple choreography, it’s also a kind of declaration of principles: for now we cannot physically dance together, but art can unite in many ways, without leaving home.

With this in mind, Carlos Acosta commissioned the shooting of the video to one of the youngest choreographers of the company, who is also an active dancer: Raúl Reinoso.

As for music, the choice seemed obvious: the young composer and instrumentalist Pepe Gavilondo, who has worked with Reinoso on many projects, to the point that they are already make up a dynamic creative duo.

Gavilondo's original score is simple and at the same time compassionate: like a breath of air that refreshes in an instant.

Let's do this. Reinoso sent via WhatsApp the pattern of the choreography to all dancers of the group. And each of them chose their setting and enriched that pattern with their own improvisation.

After all the material was brought together, it was time to edit it, a responsibility that also rested on the shoulders of Reinoso, with the collaboration of the designer Miguel Retureta.

The artistic direction was for Yaday Ponce, the coordination was in charge of Ismel Garit and Lester Vila. And none of the team members had to leave their home.

The video dance was recently released on Acosta Danza's social networks, and in just a few hours it accumulated thousands of hits on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Carlos Acosta thought it as a gift for the public that follows the company, in Cuban and abroad.

And it’s also a demonstration that crises cannot stop the drive of creation.

At all times art unites, motivates, inspires ... that is its purpose. And it’s, of course, the greatest responsibility of dance artists.

Amilkal Labañino / Cubasi Translation Staff