Power pointe

Ballet has always been more than just a job for Carlos Acosta. And as director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, he is trying to make it bigger than ever

- Lyndsey Winship

Gone are the times when you used to just create for your own indulgence," says Carlos Acosta. Now, when it comes to running a major ballet company, and keeping it afloat, "You have to learn from your audience."

Acosta has always been a crowd-pleaser, ever since he took the top prize at the Prix de Lausanne competition in 1990, the auditorium erupting in cheers at the then 16-year-old Cuban's Don Quixote solo. He went on to fire up adoring audiences around the world, settling at London's Royal Ballet for 17 years, but making global guest appearances as one of the few genuine ballet superstars.