#TBT: Lauren Anderson and Carlos Acosta in "Don Quixote"

The ’90s were an exciting time at Houston Ballet. Lauren Anderson, who became Houston’s first African–American principal dancer in 1990, reigned as its queen of virtuosic technique; a few years later, a young Cuban wonder named Carlos Acosta joined the company and became one of her regular partners. The results were nothing less than explosive, as this clip of their Don Quixote pas de deux proves. Dancing at a brisk pace, they imbue the choreography with high-flying allégro, crisp energy and charismatic flair. Within a minute Acosta has Anderson in an overhead press (no biggie!). Later, she attacks her pirouettes with pointed musicality, slicing the air with a dramatic grand ronds de jambe.

In an interview with Pointe, Anderson talked about their partnership. “It was a little bit of a battle at first because he’s strong and I’m strong,” she said, adding that she had already been an established principal when Acosta, who is eight years younger than Anderson, joined the company. “But we found that there was chemistry there. And what was fun was that we were both heavy on the technique side, so we’d compete a bit onstage, especially when we’d get to the coda. As we’d each come out for our solos, we’d try to kick it up a notch.” It’s easy to see how much fun they’re having here. Happy #TBT!