Reviews

A former principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and now a guest artist and choreographer, 34-year-old Acosta renders a deeply moving account of his leap from deep poverty in a suburban Havana hovel to international dance stardom. He was the son of a white mother and a black father 30 years her senior with eight children from several previous marriages. Obsessed with soccer and break dancing, young Acosta wanted no part of ballet when his father enrolled him in an arts school at the age of nine to keep him away from street gangs. Although extremely gifted, Acosta was frequently truant because of a grueling commute, feelings of inferiority about his poverty and the chaos of his home life. But, as he relates, winning the prestigious Prix de Lausanne catapulted him onto the international ballet scene, with triumphal stints with the English National Ballet, the Houston Ballet and the Royal Ballet; the memoir ends in 2003 with the London debut of his own ballet based on his childhood. An eloquent portrait of an artist as well as a tribute to the flawed but committed parents who wanted a better life for him. 8 pages of b&w photos. (May) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

In this candid and colorful autobiography, we accompany Acosta as he revisits his humble beginnings in Cuba and traces the arc of his international career as a sought-after soloist, most recently with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Royal Ballet in London. This is not a backstage tell-all but a frank, gracefully written account of one man's struggles in his life and art. Along the way, Acosta shares his search for identity on both personal and professional levels: he is of mixed-raced parentage and, he writes, ballet casting is not always color-blind. With its fascinating glimpse into everyday life in Cuba and honest portrayal of the sheer physical and emotional commitment required for a performing career, Acosta's book will be of interest even to those who don't know a plie from a port de bras. (Includes eight pages of black-and-white photographs, not seen by this reviewer.)--Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"Carlos Acosta is the best thing in ballet since Nureyev. What's clear from his candid and moving memoir is that the rich rhythms and climate of his birthplace in Cuba are behind every step he takes." -- "Daily Express", London