Carlos Acosta
Sue Lawley's castaway is dancer Carlos Acosta.
Sue Lawley's castaway is the dancer Carlos Acosta. Carlos Acosta is one of the greatest ballet dancers of his generation. He is the first black principal dancer at Covent Garden. Tocororo, the show about his own life, that he wrote, choreographed and starred in, broke box office records at Sadlers Wells and in his homeland of Cuba he is a national hero.
But his extraordinary success has followed an even more remarkable journey from the impoverished back streets of Havana. He was the youngest of 11 children and, as a boy, his only ambition was to be a footballer. At the age of nine, his father sent him to ballet school - inspired not by art, but by the promise of free school meals and the hope that his increasingly delinquent son would be brought into line by the strict regime. Carlos hated it, was bullied by his friends and was twice expelled.
The first time, his father persuaded the school to take him back, the second, his father found another ballet school and secured Carlos a place there as a boarder. It was only there, at the age of 13, that he had an epiphany. Seeing the Cuban National Ballet perform he decided he did want to follow that path. At the age of 16 he travelled for the first time to Europe, he won four major dance competitions in one year and his career as an international ballet dancer was launched.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Bacalao Con Pan by Irakere
Book: Dirty Trilogy of Havana by Pedro Juan Guti茅rrez
Luxury: Case of Havana rum
Last on
Music Played
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NG La Banda
Echale Limon
- Beginners Guide to Cuba: CD2 Jazzy Cuba.
- Nascente.
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Ludwig Minkus
Variation Basilio
Orchestra: Sofia National Opera Orchestra Conductor: Boris Spassov
- Don Quixote.
- Capriccio.
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Andrea Morricone
Love Theme
Orchestra: Unione Musicisti of Rome
- Cinema Paradiso Soundtrack.
- DRG.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
Soloist: Malcolm Bilson Choir: The English Baroque Soloists Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
- Mozart: Piano Ctos, Nos 20 & 21.
- Archiv.
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Castaway's Favourite
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Irakere
Bacalao Con Pan
- Hot Latin Grooves: La Havana Real.
- Piesd.
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Jimi Hendrix
Voodoo Chile
- Electric Ladyland.
- MCA.
-
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Abraham Mansfarroll
Sonata Oriental
- Tocaroro - Soundtrack.
- Discos Como No.
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Polo Monta帽ez
Un Mont贸n de Estrellas
- Guajiro Natural.
- Editions Lusafrica.
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Book Choice
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Dirty Trilogy of Havana - Pedro Juan Guti茅rrez
Luxury Choice
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Case of Havana rum
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Sue Lawley |
| Interviewed Guest | Carlos Acosta |
Broadcasts
- Sun 2 Jan 2005 11:15成人快手 Radio 4
- Fri 7 Jan 2005 09:00成人快手 Radio 4
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