Acosta Danza today announces the UK premiere and tour of a new double bill: Cuban Baroque which blends the artistry of the Baroque period with the energy, creativity, and vibrancy of Cuban dance. Emerging from the 17th- and 18th Centuries, the artistic movement was characterised by rich colour, elaborate detail, and intricate decoration.
Carlos Acosta said: ‘I am very excited about this programme which will encapsulate theessence of Acosta Danza, fusing as it will, classical, Cuban and contemporary vocabularies and styles. I am, of course, a big fan of both choreographers and am delighted that Andonis will create a brand new piece on my dancers. I look forward to seeing how that develops
over the coming months. The flavour of the evening is summarised neatly by the title Cuban Baroque, but essentially this is a programme that anyone interested in any kind of dance can enjoy. I look forward, as always, to seeing how audiences react to the atmosphere this programme will create in the theatres.’
The show opens with the world premiere of a new work (title tbc) by Andonis Foniadakis, which explores the classic chaconne looping structure, cycling through phases of acceleration, fracture, and rebound. Set to a live performance of Esteban Sallas’ Salve Regina, the score shifts from Baroque lyricism to Cuban drive, showcasing the fusion between memory and contemporary.
Andonis Foniadakis said: ‘The piece is being built as a chaconne in the broadest sense: a looping architecture that keeps circling back to the same theme like a mantra, each return opening a new variation in colour, density and impulse. Cuban rhythmic principles will seep into the texture (clave, layered pulses, dance-derived momentum) and begin to tilt the
baroque theme from within — bringing Sallas’ music fully into the present. In this dialogue, contrast becomes fusion: baroque memory meets Cuban propulsion; choral breath meets percussive drive; live sound meets a discreet electronic halo – shaping a single energetic trajectory that stays clear, intense, and emotionally resonant.’
The second half features Goyo Montero’s powerful Chacona, originally created for the Staatstheater Nürnberg Ballett during Montero’s 17-year tenure as director. Chacona is the final movement of Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D Minor for violin, accompanied here by guitar and piano. Classical in sound and contemporary in movement, the 16-dancer ensemble moves in complete cohesion in this physically and musically demanding piece.
Goyo Montero said: ‘This is going to be my fourth collaboration with Acosta Danza since 2015. To bring this work to them and adapt it to their fearless and exceptional dancers is something I am looking forward to very much. To restage this early work and revisit it for them will develop the work further and keep it alive, relevant and ever changing, a choreographer’s dream!’
Cuban Baroque will premiere at York Theatre Royal on Thursday 1 October and run until Saturday 3 October. The following week it will run at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October and the final venue for the autumn will be Norwich Theatre Royal on Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 October. More UK tour dates for Spring 2027 are will be announced.
Acosta Danza: Cuban Baroque is produced by Valid Productions in Collaboration with York Theatre Royal.
Photo credit – Johan Persson
