Dance review: Carlos Acosta, Edinburgh

EVEN before curtain up, you could tell something special was about to happen. A projection of rainfall cascaded down the velvet drapes that separated us from the action yet to unfold.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

****

Once those drapes rose, however, nothing could come between Carlos Acosta and his audience. The pure talent, emotion and artistic integrity he has poured into this show aimed for the heart, and the standing ovation and three curtain calls he received proved he had reached his target.

A ballet star the world over since his teens, Acosta is now a mature 39-year-old, who no longer finds inspiration in large-scale narrative ballets. So gone are the high leaps on which he built his fame. In their place, comes an assured style that blends classical ballet technique with an emotionally-charged contemporary choreography.

Standing in an atmospheric spotlight, and moving with an athletic yet cerebral intensity, Acosta is a sight to behold.

Yet his performance was only one aspect of this sophisticated evening. Joined on stage by stunning Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky, the two made a beautiful but tormented pair.

Together, they delivered passionate duets and solos by dancemakers such as Russell Maliphant, Will Tuckett and Kim Brandstrup. Each work segueing into the next, through a powerful mix of evocative lighting design, captivating film, and members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus drifting on and off the stage before bringing the show to a close with their haunting vocals.