Ballet superstar Carlos Acosta CBE awarded honorary degree in University of Birmingham’s Summer 2025 graduations.
Legendary dancer and Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta CBE is receiving an honorary degree from University of Birmingham at the Summer 2025 graduations.
An honorary degree is the University’s highest honour, awarded to eminent individuals who have made an exemplary contribution of regional, national, or international significance to their field.
Carlos has been Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet for five years. During his tenure he has shown a commitment to amplifying the region’s rich heritage and culture through the creation of work such as On Your Marks for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Black Sabbath – The Ballet, the second in a trilogy of creations for the City of Birmingham.
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Birmingham, said: “Carlos Acosta is one of the most influential and innovative figures in the Arts today. As Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, he has made an outstanding contribution to the city, positioning Birmingham as a globally renowned centre for arts and culture.
“Through his work and achievements, Carlos Acosta embodies our University’s values of ambition, innovation and collaboration, and we’re incredibly proud to award him an honorary degree. Carlos will inspire this year’s graduates to follow his lead by going out into the world and making a real difference.”
“Through his work and achievements, Carlos Acosta embodies our University’s values of ambition, innovation and collaboration, and we’re incredibly proud to award him an honorary degree.”
–Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Adam Tickell
Overcoming childhood poverty in one of Cuba’s poorest districts through dance and education – Carlos channelled outstanding natural talent, an ambition to succeed and a commitment to education at the National Ballet School of Cuba. He has achieved global recognition as one of the world’s leading ballet dancers and choreographers, and has won numerous international awards, including an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2007 and a CBE in 2014.
Carlos Acosta said: “To be recognised by this prestigious institution, in a city that has become so dear to me, is an immense privilege. I feel strongly that this honour from the University of Birmingham, in its 125th birthday year, also pays tribute to the Company I direct, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and to the world-class Creative Industries of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. We serve with pride, and represent to the world, this extraordinary second city of the UK.”
Carlos Acosta’s commitment to supporting talent and philanthropy is evidenced through the Acosta Dance Foundation and Acosta Danza Academy, Havana – providing free education for talented young dancers and choreographers.
Earlier this year the University of Birmingham marked its 125th anniversary by working with Birmingham Royal Ballet, to co-host a reception at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. ahead of the company’s landmark performance of ‘Black Sabbath – The Ballet’, bringing the sound of heavy metal, and one of Birmingham’s most iconic cultural exports, to the world of classical ballet.
This year, the University of Birmingham also welcomes back esteemed colleagues, partners, and friends to inspire, guide, or entertain members of the Class of 2025 at its graduation ceremonies. These speeches mark the transition from one period of life to another, and offer space for reflection, encouragement, and celebration.
