THE mature Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta is appearing in his show On Before, here in Edinburgh, prior to an extensive UK tour. Thinking this would be a world-premiere, I anticipated the presence of the multiple choreographers involved and I noticed that Miguel Altunaga-Verdecia is a contributor. 

Miguel Altunaga-Verdecia trained happily in Cuba, in the modern-dance methods of Martha Graham and the authentic fusion of Afro-Caribbean dance forms. He later pivoted a transatlantic shift via an apprentice contract with the UK’s Rambert Dance Company, notwithstanding his professional renown at home. 

This was an interesting juncture at which to meet him. As a regular guest teacher at the Rambert troupe I became abruptly aware of a frisky new presence, and of the bonus of a formal handshake following our morning exertions. This was cultural immediacy, coming from a vibrant place where teachers are consistently respected as key avatars in the passing of knowledge.