Carlos Acosta at the Royal Ballet

A wonderful new dance book http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/carlos-acosta-the-royal-ballet/ here's my thoughts for Sydney Arts Guide Carlos Acosta is one of the most well known dancers of our times, famous internationally. This book is published to mark Acosta’s farewell season, and is a very exciting retrospective seeking to preserve and capture most of what are regarded as his greatest performances with The Royal Ballet. Released in Australia by Currency Press, the book is a tribute to his popularity and success with international audiences since 1998 . A large, beautiful coffee table book it documents Acosta’s seventeen year career with the Royal Ballet. There are over 150 assorted photos of Acosta on stage and in rehearsal. The photos are spectacular and show him in dynamic, striking poses from his performances, in leading roles, as Basilio in Don Quixote, as Des Grieux in Manon, Romeo in Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Albrecht in Giselle, and Siegfried in Swan Lake in which he danced the principal roles. It also features photographs of Carlos on stage with the world’s leading ballerinas of recent years including Darcey Bussell and Alina Cojocaru as well as shots of Acosta with The Royal Ballet’s current dazzling stars; Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez and Natalia Ospiova. There are lovely passages, one might perhaps call them mini essays, from three artistic directors of the Royal Ballet- Sir Anthony Dowell, Dame Monica Mason, and the current artistic director Kevin O’Hare as well as Associate Director Jeanetta Lawrence. The book also includes plenty of wonderful quotes from his co -stars, designers and conductors with whom Acosta has worked with over the years. The range of roles Acosta has performed in is astonishing : from the ‘classics’ ( such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee) to challenging ultra–contemporary works such as Forsythe’s In The Middle. Being the Royal Ballet, Acosta has performed in many Macmillan ballets. The photos are bold and striking.There is a section of Acosta in rehearsal and some productions have black and white photos of rehearsal interwoven with colour photos of performance. Some capture his incredible flying leaps and soft ballon, others his sinuous, sculptural ‘line’ , huge smile and charismatic presence. There is a helpful table of contents at the front of the various productions, which complements the useful listing of the many roles Acosta has performed as a time line at the back of the book. The time line also lists the photographer credits and the various partners in the photos. This is a captivating, visually stunning book that will delight dance lovers. Title: Carlos Acosta @ The Royal Ballet Author: Royal Ballet. Binding: HardBack ISBN: 9781783198900 Publisher: Oberon Press