Will Carlos Acosta Get to the Pointe

The celebrated ballet star, Carlos Acosta, is preparing to take on one of his most demanding roles to date – to save the crumbling ruins of an abandoned ballet school in Cuba.

Vittorio Garatti’s Ballet School in Havana is an extraordinary labyrinth of corridors, graceful arches and majestic domes and has been described as one of the most remarkable buildings of the 20th century. But after its construction the sensuous structures became viewed as indulgent and elitist and the buildings were abandoned and fell into disrepair.

Carlos Acosta has a dream to revive the school and transform it into an international center for dance and the arts. The restoration project is seen as a touchstone for how modern Cuba feels about itself and its artistic history. In this program, the ballet star travels back to his native country to reveal why this project is so close to his own heart.

Program Duration: 49 minutes 30 seconds (23 minutes & 26 minutes 30 seconds) or 59 minutes including news bulletins, billboards & promos

Transmission time: Saturday, March 8 at 1406 ET and repeated on Sunday, March 9 at 0706 ET

Clock: This program follows the normal BBC World Service Clock

Broadcast window: March 8-14

Download: This program is also available to download from the Specials sections of the BBC Partner Site.