Carlos Acosta expands his London dance empire with new training course for teens
In the two years since Carlos Acosta opened his dance centre in Woolwich, the former Royal Ballet star has quietly been building what looks suspiciously like a training pipeline for the next generation of ballet talent. This week, the Acosta Dance Centre announced its newest project: a year-long, full-time course for 16- and 17-year-olds, beginning in September 2025. Think of it as a pre-professional finishing school with a distinctly Cuban accent.
The new programme sits alongside the Centre’s existing over-18 course but pushes the net wider, catching younger dancers at that precarious, ambitious age when they’re deciding if dance is going to be a hobby or a life. Students accepted onto the course will spend up to 25 hours a week in the Woolwich studios, immersed in a curriculum that folds classical ballet into contemporary work, Cuban folklore, choreographic training and Acosta’s own hybrid technique. There are also the modern necessities: pilates, yoga, mental-health support and the occasional masterclass from visiting professionals.
Acosta, now Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet but still very much an international figurehead, says the aim is to give young dancers “access and opportunity”, though the broader project feels like something deeper: the seeding of a training culture that blends the discipline of European ballet with the musicality and exuberance of Cuban dance. Anyone who has watched Acosta’s own company, Acosta Danza, will recognise the ethos.
The Centre has also announced something for younger teens: its first Easter Camp, running 7–12 April next year, offering an intensive week of classes for students aged 12 to 18. The camp acts as both outreach and, potentially, a feeder for the more serious year-long training—students who attend will even have their audition fees waived if they later decide to apply.
The new +16 course will take only 15 to 20 students, a deliberate choice intended to keep class sizes small and contact time meaningful. It launches with in-person and digital open days early next year, followed by auditions in April. Demand is expected to be high: Acosta’s profile, paired with Woolwich Works’ increasingly confident cultural presence, has made the Centre a quietly attractive option for dancers who might otherwise look to vocational schools in central London.
There is, inevitably, a price tag—£14,000 plus VAT for the year—but flexible payment plans are available. The Easter Camp, by comparison, sits at £450 plus VAT (or slightly less if booked before the new year).
For Acosta, who spent much of his early life training under Cuba’s famously rigorous state-funded system, the establishment of a dedicated London hub speaks to a long-held ambition. His Foundation has spent years building training structures both in Cuba and the UK; this latest expansion suggests a desire not simply to teach dancers, but to shape the ecosystem they will eventually enter.
Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
