Yonah Acosta

Principal Dancer

Yonah Acosta was born in Havana, Cuba, and started dancing at the age of 10 at the National Ballet School Cuba. After his diploma he got engaged at the National Ballet in Havana. In 2011 he joined the English National Ballet where he was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2014. He won several international dance competitions and was partner of Tamara Rojo and Alina Cojocaru amongst others. In the season 2017/18 he joined the Bayerisches Staatsballett as a Principal. (Information as of Nov 2017)

Awards (selection)  

• Silver Medal First Beijing Ballet Competiton (2007)
• Grand Prix International Ballett Competition Cuba (2007)
• Gold Medal Shanghai International Ballet Competition (2008)
• Winner Emerging Dancer and People’s Choice Award (2012)
• Mr. Virtuoso Award International Ballet Festival Dance Open (2011, 2012)

Repertoire (selection)

Le jeune homme et la mort (R. Petit)
Blue Bird / Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty (K. MacMillan)
Franz in Coppelia (R. Hynd)
3. Act in Raymonda (R. Nureyev)
Conrad / Ali in Le Corsaire (A.-M. Holmes)
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake (D. Deane)
Basilio in Don Quixote (M. Petipa)
Albrecht in Giselle (P. Wright)

Debuts with the Bayerisches Staatsballett

Petrucchio in Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)
The Golden Idol in La Bayadère (M. Petipa/P. Bart)
Lewis Carroll / the White Rabbit in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (C. Wheeldon)
Spartacus in Spartacus (Y. Grigorovich)
Basilio in Don Quijote (R. Barra/L. Minkus)
Philostrat / Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream (J. Neumeier)
Colas in La Fille mal gardée (F. Ashton)
Dancer in Kairos and Sunyata - Portrait Wayne McGregor (W. McGregor)
Abderakhman in Raymonda (R. Barra, M. Petipa)