Carlos Acosta

[Alexandra]

This was on yesterday's Links. I'm copying it here for discussion.

Carlos Acosta gets himself into another British newspaper, this time the Observer.

[atm711]

I would like to know more about his father! I could not have imagined a latin father insisting that his son become a dancer---or perhaps I am not keeping up with the times.

[Alexandra]

atm, a supportive (if not pushy!) father has come up in several reviews of Spanish or Latin American men that I've read. They'll also mention that dancing is part of the culture -- it's cool to be a good dancer, nothing to be ashamed of. (social dance, "folk" dance) This is one of the reasons often given for the explosion of Latin male ballet dancers here these days. Some changes are good things!!!

[Ari]

Acosta has said in other interviews that his father knew nothing whatever about ballet except that it imposed discipline. He thought his son needed that, so he enrolled him in classes.

[Alexandra]

But ballet is on the radar screen in that community (otherwise, it might have been military school ). I remember Bujones' story as being he had asthma as a small boy and the doctor said, "Ballet! Builds the lungs!"

[JaneD]

A documentary on BBC1 last night explained that his father thought he was getting into trouble, and a neighbour said her two children were at ballet school, so they could go together if Carlos was enrolled. He started skipping school when his mother was ill and his father in prison, but his father later begged them to take him back.

A good, if worrying, programme. I ended up with the impression that he didn't belong anywhere, and saw himself with nothing more to achieve in the field of ballet. His closing remarks were about possibly looking for acting roles, or even singing.

Jane