Carlos Acosta’s brand-new production Nutcracker in Havana explodes onto its debut UK tour, featuring new choreography by Carlos Acosta CBE performed by more than 20 dancers from his Cuban company, Acosta Danza.
Set to an exuberant Cuban newly-commissioned version of the magnificent Tchaikovsky score, arranged by Cuban composer Pepe Gavilondo, the timeless story is brought to life with ballet at its core, enriched with Acosta Danza’s unique style and with Cuban dance traditions beautifully woven throughout the much-loved and joyful family tale.
Join Clara in her humble home in Havana, getting ready to celebrate Christmas with her family. The beer cans are on the tree and Cuba is suitably hot. When Clara is gifted a Nutcracker doll she embarks on the journey of a lifetime, to defeat the Rat King and travel into the world of the Sugar Plum Fairy accompanied by her Nutcracker Prince.
With spectacular video projection and set design by Nina Dunn (9to5 Musical, Bonnie and Clyde, BRB’s Don Quixote), Cuba collides with the Land of Sweets, bringing snow to Havana. With lighting by Andrew Exeter (Oti Mabuse: I Am Here, The Full Monty UK Tour, Johannes Radebe: House of JoJo) and costumes by Angelo Alberto (costume designer for Goyo Montero’s ‘Imponderable’ and Raul Reinoso’s ‘Satori’ with Acosta Danza) Nutcracker in Havana is a visually stunning spectacular treat for all.
For dance fans around the globe, Carlos is an international superstar of the classical ballet world. Born in Havana and trained at the National School of Ballet in Cuba, he went on to dance professionally with the world’s most prestigious companies, with London’s Royal Ballet becoming his home. Having tackled huge titles throughout his career, from Carmen to Don Quixote, Nutcracker in Havana is an opportunity for Acosta to fuse this festive treat with a little Havana heat.
1 – 3 Nov 2024
Norwich
Theatre Royal
8 – 9 Nov 2024
Canterbury
Marlowe Theatre
19 – 20 Nov 2024
Aylesbury
Waterside Theatre
26 – 27 Nov 2024
Richmond
Richmond Theatre
10 – 15 Dec 2024
London
Southbank Centre
10 – 11 Jan 2025
Woking
New Victoria Theatre
13 – 14 Jan 2025
Wolverhampton
Grand Theatre
17 – 18 Jan 2025
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Theatre
27 – 28 Jan 2025
Salford
The Lowry
Plus more dates to be announced…
“Welcome to my Nutcracker in Havana. I am so excited to be bringing this new production to life. Nutcracker is a ballet beloved by so many, it is a Winter tradition, not only for dance lovers but also for dancers. It is many dancers’ dream to perform the various roles of the Nutcracker and I am lucky to have done just that throughout my career.
“Nutcracker has always been a special show for me. My generation in Cuba grew up without the spirit of Christmas and with this show, I can combine the joy of the Nutcracker with the vibrant Havana culture. I cannot wait to take audiences from the humble settings of Clara’s home through to the beautiful dream sequences passing through the grand and vibrant Havana ballrooms of the 1940s and 50s.
“Infusing the colour, feel and vibrancy of Havana, where I grew up and started my career, with the tradition and beauty of Nutcracker is something I have wanted to do for a long time. With my Cuban company, Acosta Danza, I am proud to be revisiting another major ballet title following on from my Romeo & Juliet and Don Quixote. I am hugely proud to be bringing Acosta Danza to the Nutcracker, telling that story in a new and different way and letting audiences experience a little piece of what tradition is for me.”
Carlos Acosta, Director and Choreographer
Paul Brandon
Zeleidy Crespo
Brian Ernesto
Denzel Francis
Brandy Martínez
Raúl Reinoso
Alejandro Silva
Liana Taly
Yaday Ponce
Thalía Cardín
Adria Díaz
Leandro Fernández
Frank Isaac
Melisa Moreda
Laura Rodríguez
Jennifer Suárez
Patricia Torres
Aymara Vasallo
Enrique Corrales
Chay Deivis
Daniela Francia
Cynthia Laffertté
Amisaday Naara
Ofelia Rodríguez
Elizabeth Tablada
Verónica Corveas
Alexander Varona
Carlos Acosta
Director and Choreographer
Born in Havana in 1973, Carlos Acosta trained at The National Ballet School of Havana in Cuba. After winning a succession of awards, including 1990’s Prix De Lausanne, Carlos went on to dance professionally with the world’s most prestigious companies, with London’s Royal Ballet becoming his home. Carlos retired from Classical ballet in 2016, after 28 years, having performed almost every classical role from Spartacus to Romeo. Carlos created many award-winning shows throughout his ballet career including Tocororo, Cuban Fable, and ‘Carlos Acosta and Friends of the Royal Ballet’. He also choreographed the Royal Ballet Productions of Don Quixote and Carmen, plus the latest Guys and Dolls production for the West End. Carlos’s extraordinary contribution to dance continues to this day and was recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2014 when he was awarded a CBE. In 2018 Carlos received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from The Royal Academy of Dance in recognition of his standing as one of the most influential figures in Dance today. His athleticism, the sheer joy of dancing as well as his tremendous ability to convey emotion, inspired a generation of dancers across the globe.
Nina Dunn for PixelLux
Set and Video Designer
Nina is an award-winning designer who has created work for a wide range of shows internationally.
Recent Designs Include: Don Quixote and The Nutcracker, Birmingham Royal Ballet (video design); Lazuli Sky (scenography co-design with Samuel Wyer and video design); The Seven Deadly Sins and Bluebeard’s Castle, Teatro Colón, Argentina (scenography co-design with Samuel Wyer), The Damned United, Red Ladder Theatre (set and video design).
Andrew Exeter
Lighting Designer
Set & Lighting: Oti Mabuse I Am Here – UK Tour (ROYO), Johannes Radebe Freedom, Freedom Unleashed & House of JoJo – UK Tour (ROYO), LIZZIE – UK Tour (Hope Mill Theatre), Police Cops & Oscar @ The Crown (ROYO), Millennials (The Other Palace) & The Bodyguard Musical (Ljubljana Festival Theatre)
Lighting Design: The Way Old Friends Do, Directed by Mark Gatiss – West End & UK Tour (Birmingham REP & James Seabright), Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana – Southbank & UK Tour (Norwich Theatre Royal), The Full Monty – UK Tour (Mark Goucher Productions), Bleak Expectations – West End (Anthology), Das Spongebob Musical – German International Tour (Show Slot), The Jungle Book, Bleak Expectations & Whistle Down The Wind (The Watermill), West Side Story – Ljubljana (Ljubljana Festival) & Pantomimes for Crossroads Pantomimes.
Set Design: The Creakers (Theatre Royal Plymouth & Southbank Centre London), Lady Chatterley’s Lover - Shaftesbury Theatre (West End) & Pinocchio (Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes).
Future Designs: A Christmas Carol – Lowry (Hope Mill Productions)The Little Mermaid – Theatre Royal Newcastle (Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes), Aladdin – Everyman Cheltenham (Mark Goucher Productions).
Angelo Alberto
Costume Designer
Fashion and costume designer Angelo Alberto was born in Curacao. After studying as a tailor at the Holtland College Technical School in Leiden, he studied Fashion design at the Utrecht University of the Arts until 1997. In 1998, Angelo Alberto completed a two-year assistantship for the haute couture collection of Edgar Vos Couture in Amsterdam. Since 2007 he’s worked as a costume designer creating costumes for Ballets like Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Sacre, Cinderella, Carmen, Don Quixote, Eugene Onegin, Othello, Giselle and Satori. Working with Choreographers like, Itzik Galili, Emily Molnar, Kevin O’day, Mauro Bigonzetti, Yaroslav Ivanenko, Goyo Montero, Amilcar Moret Gonzales, Raul Reinoso, to mention a few.
Pepe Gavilondo Peón
Composer/Arranger
José Víctor (Pepe) Gavilondo Peón is a Cuban composer, pianist, keyboard player, improviser, producer, music director and visual creator. His creative catalogue holds over a dozen works for film, twenty for dance and more than 25 contemporary music original pieces, some of which have been performed by famous musicians and ensembles. Since 2014 he has been the main keyboard player at Latin-Grammy-Award-winning band Sintesis.. He is also a Specialist in Classical Music at Havana´s contemporary arts venue, Fábrica de Arte Cubano. He has composed music for award-winning films, documentaries, and short films as well as for seven choreographed works of Acosta Danza.
Yasel Muñoz
Composer/Arranger
Yasel Muñoz is an emerging flutist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer base on Havana, Cuba. He is a member of the AHS (Asociación Hermanos Saíz) and ACDAM. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Flute and Ensemble Practices and a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Composition from the University of the Arts (ISA) in Havana. Yasel has led several projects with his music and has collaborated with a grand variety of artists. Including his albums “EIH-Studio Session”, “El Camino del Diamante” under the Colibrí label, in co-production with renowned producer Gloria Ochoa and “Oda al Plagio”.