Carlos Acosta

Carlos Acosta, Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet

Carlos Acosta, Nishi Samaya

Born into a working-class Cuban family, former principal dancer Carlos Acosta leveraged the state-sponsored arts program to become the first black principal dancer in *Swan Lake* at the Metropolitan Opera and the first black director of a major ballet company, the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Appointed in January 2020 amidst the onset of the pandemic, Acosta is currently executing strategic initiatives to elevate technical standards and diversify audiences through innovative productions like *Radio and Juliet*. His leadership focuses on dismantling industry exclusion by actively recruiting global talent and redefining classical dance's cultural relevance for younger generations.