Yuli

• Drama

Yuli is the nickname given to Carlos Acosta by his father, Pedro, who considers him the son of Ogun, an African god and a fighter. As a child Yuli avoids discipline and education, learning from the streets of an impoverished and abandoned Havana. His father, however, has other ideas, and knowing that his son has a natural talent for dance, sends him to the National Ballet School of Cuba. Despite his repeated escapes and initial poor behaviour, the boy is inevitably drawn to the world of dance, and begins to shape his legendary career from a young age, becoming the first black dancer to be cast in some of the most prestigious ballet roles, originally written for white dancers, in companies such as the Houston Ballet or the Royal Ballet in London.

Yuli is a 2018 drama film that chronicles the true story of Carlos Acosta, Cuba's groundbreaking ballet dancer who became the first Black performer to dance leading roles originally written for white dancers at elite companies like the Royal Ballet and Houston Ballet. The film follows Acosta's journey from the streets of Havana to international stardom, shaped by his father's determination to channel his natural talent for dance into a legendary career.

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United States