Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story

by Carlos Acosta

‘The dazzling Carlos Acosta is the Cuban Billy Elliot, a poor kid who triumphed over prejudice and humble origins … Frankly, you couldn't make it up.’ Daily Mail In 1980, Carlos Acosta was just another Cuban kid of humble origins, the youngest son in a poor family named after the planter who had owned his great-great-grandfather. With few options and an independent spirit, Carlos spent his days on the streets, dreaming of a career in football. But even at a young age, Carlos had extraordinary talent. At nine, he was skipping school to win break-dancing competitions as the youngest member of a street-gang for whom dance contests were only a step away from violence. When Carlos’s father enrolled him in ballet school, he hoped not only to nurture his son’s talent, but also to curb his wildness. Years of loneliness, conflict and crippling physical effort followed, but today the Havana street-kid is an international star. This magical memoir is about more than Carlos’s rise to stardom, however. It is the story of a childhood where food is scarce but love is abundant, where the soul of Cuba comes alive to influence a dancer’s art. It is also about a man forced to leave behind his homeland and loved ones for a life of self-discipline, displacement and brutal physical hardship. Carlos Acosta makes dance look effortless, but the grace, strength and charm have come at a cost – here, in his own words, is the story of the price he paid. Previously published as ‘No Way Home’.

336 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2019

About the author

Born in Havana in 1973, Carlos trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba with many of its most influential teachers, including Ramona de Sáa. From 1989 to 1991 Carlos performed throughout the world, guesting with several companies including the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino in Italy, where he danced alongside Luciana Savignano.

In 1990 he won the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne, the Grand Prix at the 4th biennial Concours International de Danse de Paris, Vignale Danza Prize in Italy and Frédéric Chopin Prize, awarded by the Polish Artistic Corporation.

Upon the invitation of Ivan Nagy, Carlos was invited to dance as a principal with the English National Ballet in London during their 1991/92 season. He made his debut in the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and also appeared in Cinderella (partnering Eva Evdokimova and Ludmila Semenyaka), Le Spectre de la Rose, Les Sylphides, and also as the Prince in Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker.

In 1991 he won the Prize for Merit in the Young Talent Competition, Positano, in Italy, the Italian Osimodanza Prize and the Grand Prix at Cuba's prestigious Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC) competition.

Carlos danced with the National Ballet of Cuba for six months during 1992/93 under Alicia Alonso. In October 1993 and September 1994 he toured with the company to Madrid, Spain, where he danced various roles including Albrecht in Giselle, Basilio in Don Quixote and Siegfried in Swan Lake.

Reviews

[Kat Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotional and interesting biography that focused on the internal push and pull between having the chance at an extraordinary life but also the cost that brings of leaving home and family behind.

I already knew something about ballet as a dance form, but as a spectator not as a performer, so this was an easier read than if I knew little of the world of ballet. Some of the names were familiar, as well as the different companies and schools. I hadn’t known much about Cuban ballet before reading this book, however, and its differences from English and European ballet styles.

Acosta was from a very poor background in Cuba, and he explores the conflict between the drive of his father for him to have a chance to make something of his life with ballet and Acosta's desire to have the freedom to choose his own path.

The position of Cuba on the world stage as he was growing up and the changes to the country following the fall of the Soviet Union are well-described, but the heart of the book is not political, Acosta avoids any political commentary. It is about the sense of the self and who you are when the life and the world you knew have changed and disappeared. He is at times an unwilling citizen of the world, as he feels he has no home to return to. The juxtaposition of his good fortune and career and the cost of this to his family relationships and sense of belonging is fascinating to read. The role of parents is explored, and that of a son, with the sacrifices parents make and the way they shape their children.

I feel I had a good sense of Acosta as a person from this book, and his open humour in the face of his challenges made the book a pleasure to read. The world of ballet, his career, and his geographical journeys are described in great detail and supplemented with photos of his performances and family. It is well-structured and well-paced.

[Jan East · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this account of Carlos Acosta's life, which wasn't without difficulties, and is well -written and thorough. I read it as light relief when I was reading Swan Song and loved it. I am into ballet but you don't have to be. I am also into Cuba, which I found very interesting.

[Hilary May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable biography, I knew very little about his life and it was a fascinating and moving story.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.