Directed by Carlos Acosta, the company offers two performances on 30 and 31 October in the Symphony Hall

 

 

The Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council, is managed by its Minister of Culture, Enrique Arriaga. The venue offers this weekend two performances of Evolution, a show by the prestigious Cuban company Acosta Danza. The dance company is directed by Carlos Acosta and it will be on stage in the Symphony Hall on Saturday, the 30th October at 8:30 p.m. and on Sunday, the 31st October at 7:30 p.m.

With Evolution, Acosta Danza and 13 of its members offer four key works of their repertoire: the mystery of the show Satori; a sunset celebration with Paysage, soudain la nuit; a tribute to dance and mathematics with Twelve, while Impronta shows a fusion between folk and contemporary dance. Cuban music, visual arts and the proverbial power of Cuban dancers merge during this scenic proposal.

Acosta Danza was founded by Carlos Acosta, its general manager and renowned dancer who was also the main character of the movie Yuli. The film was directed by Icíar Bollaín and premièred in 2019. It revolves around Carlos Acosta's life. The company is the most recent report card of the Cuban scene to the world. It has performed in venues such as the Royal Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and Sadler's Wells in London; the New York City Center in the United States, and the Chinese National Theatre.

Created on the 28th of September 2015, the company was and presented for the first time to the public on the 8th of April 2016. It is part of the Cuban stage scene and has clear contemporary lines, without neglecting the technical development of classical ballet. The company meets the needs of its creator to materialise his artistic vision through the work that he has been shaping during his professional career. Acosta Danza was nominated in 2021 by the Dance Section of the Critics' Circle (UK) to get the National Dance Award as the best independent company.

Evolution will start with ‘Satori’, by Raúl Reinoso. It won the 2018 Villanueva Prize, an award by the Review and Stage Research Section of the ‘National Association of Cuban Artists and Writers’ (UNEAC) to the best Cuban and foreign shows seen in Cuba during that year. The same institution recognised Raúl Reinoso in 2019 with the National Choreography Award 2018-2019 for this piece.

In Zen Buddhism, the word ‘satori’ refers to spiritual enlightenment. Several abstract choreographic scenes illustrate this inner journey: the initial questions, the search, the stagnation, the defeat of obstacles and, finally, the moment of knowledge, the discovery of truth, of beauty, of light.

‘Paysage, soudain la nuit’ could be translated as 'Landscape and sudden night'. The piece is signed by the choreographer Pontus Lidberg and the playwright Adrian Silver. It is inspired in a poem by the Cuban writer Eliseo Diego: "Faster days are going by, / the night so early that it is dawn / and dawn breaks so that it is twilight / a twilight of a returning dawn / it announces a gloom again / where yesterday's night returns."

The modern and contemporary dance merge in ‘Impronta0, by María Rovira, the main choreographer of the film Yuli. It evokes the African heritage of folk dances. In addition, the piece also features music by Pepe Gavilondo.

Twelve, by Jorge Crecis, was selected by the Review and Stage Research Section of the (UNEAC) as one of the best dance and theatre shows exhibited in Cuba in 2017. It is a dance-sport piece, a universe ruled by complex mathematical and graphic permutations. This real risk tests the physical and mental endurance of the 12 dancers.

Tickets can be purchased until one hour before the show on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During the purchase process, the user will have to choose between one or two pre-set seats distributed throughout the hall. The audience is requested to arrive at the venue well in advance to enter the Auditorium in staggered "waves".

By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat Coronavirus, such as the correct use of masks and attendance at the event only with people you live with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be consulted on the Auditorium’s website.