WORLD renowned dancer Carlos Acosta is set to perform his classical ballet swan song in Southampton next year.

Sadler’s Wells will present Carlos Acosta’s A Classical Farewell at Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 May 2016.

The production features career highlights of one of the greatest male dancers of this generation in celebration of twenty-six years as a dancer on the international stage.

The production follows the popular format of his 2006 show Carlos Acosta with Guests of The Royal Ballet, for which he won an Olivier Award, this time featuring a new selection of classical works.

Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director Alistair Spalding said: “Carlos Acosta’s unique combination of warm stage presence and powerful technique have made him one of the most admired and loved dancers in the world. His Sadler’s Wells debut in Tocororo in 2003 was a sell-out success. Since then, we have presented many of his shows, both on our stage and at the Coliseum. I am delighted to work with him again to tour A Classical Farewell, an evening of classical ballet featuring some of the talented dancers Carlos has enjoyed working with in his career. I hope the many performances scheduled around the UK will offer as many people as possible the opportunity to see him in a ballet repertoire one last time.”

Michael Ockwell, Mayflower Theatre Chief Executive added, “I am thrilled that we are able to bring Carlos back to the theatre after he performed his show On Before here this April. This will be the last time for audiences to see one of the most talented dancers in the world delivering a classical dance showcase”.

Carlos Acosta has thrilled audiences throughout the world with his breath-taking performances. For A Classical Farewell Carlos has put together a programme with guest artists from Cuba, presenting some of his favourite pieces from the classical repertoire.

Acosta trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba and won the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne (1990). He was a principal with English National Ballet (1991–2), danced with National Ballet of Cuba under Alicia Alonso (1992–3) and was a principal with Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson (1993–8). He joined The Royal Ballet in 1998 and became a Principal Guest Artist in 2003. Acosta has frequently appeared worldwide with companies including American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov, Bolshoi and Australian Ballet.

Acosta’s past productions have played to sell-out audiences and have been lauded by critics and audiences alike. In 2007 he won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performance in his 2006 programme, Carlos Acosta with Guests of The Royal Ballet.

He was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2014 for his services to ballet and is passionate about nurturing and inspiring the next generation of dancers through the Carlos Acosta International Dance Foundation. The award marked the end of a remarkable year which had seen him stage a new production of Don Quixote at the Royal Opera House, release his debut novel Pig’s Foot, which was subsequently named as one of the Waterstone’s Eleven, an annual list of some of the most promising debut novels. This forthcoming season he also choreographs Carmen at the Royal Opera House and Chichester Festival Theatre’s new production of Guys and Dolls which is due to come to Mayflower Theatre in May 2016. At the National Dance Awards 2015 Acosta was awarded the De Valois Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Speaking earlier this year Carlos, 42, told me he has been “grieving” for the end of his career for some time but is looking forward to new opportunities as a contemporary performer.

“I’m retiring from the classic repertoire but making the transition to a more contemporary form of dance.

“It’s difficult because ballet has been my greatest friend but you can’t dance for ever and at some point you have to take a chance because ballet at this point injures me. But, I have so many ways I can re-direct my career. I have many possibilities to evolve.”

Sadler’s Wells presents Carlos Acosta’s A Classical Farewell, at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 May 2016.

Tickets are available from Mayflower Theatre Box Office on 023 8071 1811 or online at mayflower.org.uk.