The Acosta Dance Foundation has announced a new partnership with Woolwich Works – Royal Arsenal’s new cultural hub. The partnership comes along with a rebrand from The Carlos Acosta International Dance Foundation, to the newly positioned Acosta Dance Foundation (ADF)
Initially inspired by Carlos’ own life experience, which took him from a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Havana, Cuba to becoming one of the most talented dancers of his generation, the Acosta Dance Foundation will expand its service offering to the UK and beyond, by becoming Woolwich Work’s latest Resident Artistic Company and launching later in 2023 its new home in South East London.
Carlos Acosta – Chairman, said: “The Foundation’s work has now reached a level that needs to be shared and voiced more widely than ever before. I look forward to using the Foundation’s platform not only to push for equality within the sector and to help those who, like me, start from nothing but also as a tool for dancers and artists to feel identified and respected. Our new home in Woolwich Works will play a pivotal role as a collaboration and networking channel – for artists to feel empowered and free to create and bring new dance ideas into reality”.
A cornerstone of the Foundation’s model is to work on connecting people across cultures and bringing dancers, art lovers and the dance community together. The ADF’s plans set out the ambition to incorporate the “Acosta Dance Centre” (ADC) as a small arts organisation with high potential for national and international reach; and to expand the work of the “Acosta Dance Academy” to the UK by delivering artistic education and development through several engagement programmes that will portray the best of Carlos’ curriculum and Cuban dance traditions such as afro-cuban, salsa, rumba, among others. The programme kicks off with the Spring Dance Club on 3rd April, through 12th July at Woolwich Works.
Ben Howarth – Chair of Woolwich Works’ Board of Trustees, said: “We’re honoured that Acosta Dance Foundation will soon be calling Woolwich home alongside the already world-leading list of internationally renowned Resident Artistic Companies at Woolwich Works. Bringing brilliant arts organisations like Acosta Dance Foundation, and the amazing work they do with local communities, is exactly what the Woolwich Creative District Trust was set up by the Royal Borough of Greenwich council to do.
This will no doubt continue making Woolwich a properly exciting place to be, and we can’t wait to see what opportunities this will bring for local residents.”
In addition, the ADF has strengthened its governance by expanding its board and bringing in a range of expertise and diversity. Javier Torres, as Managing Director, will round out the expanded leadership board team focused on supporting the Foundation’s cause of creating a dancer in every home.
Javier Torres – Managing Director, said: “I am thrilled to join the ADF leadership team. I also look forward to working closely with Carlos and the team to bolster critical areas within our proposition and to expand the Foundation’s positioning outside Cuba. As the levels of inequalities within our artform and society increase, now more than ever it is vital that the Foundation’s resources are used in ways that are more ambitious and effective, not only in Cuba but in the UK and beyond – and that’s our aim, to share and bring to the UK the work we’ve done there to those here still marginalised and unrepresented within the sector.”
