Alicia Alonso
Alicia Alonso in 1954
Birth name	Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martinez Hoya
Born	December 21, 1921 Havana, Cuba
Nationality	Cuban
Field	Ballet dancer, Choreographer
Training	Pro-Arte Musical of Havana, School of American Ballet
Movement	Ballet Nacional de Cuba
Famous works	Giselle, Carmen
Awards	Selected: Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris, Anna Pavlova Award, Gold Medal by the Gran Teatro, UNESCO Pablo Picasso Medal

Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martinez Hoya, simply known as Alicia Alonso, is a Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. She is considered a legend and is most famous for her portrayals of Giselle and Carmen.[2]. Since she was nineteen, Alicia was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be, and she used lights in different parts of the stage to guide her. Image File history File links AAlonso_publicitystill. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Nickname: Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515 Government  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area  - City 721. ... Cuban National Ballet (Ballet Nacional de Cuba) is managed by Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso and is one of the top ballet companies in the world. ... Anna Pavlova as Giselle in Act I (ca. ... Painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas, 1872. ... Photographic postcard of Anna Pavlova as Aspicia in The Pharoahs Daughter, circa 1910 Anna Pavlova as Nikiya in the Grand Pas Classique of the Shades from Act III of La Bayadere, circa 1902 Anna Pavlova is also the name of an Olympic gymnast. ... The Great Theater of Havana The Great Theater of Havana, former The Great Tacón Theater, also known as the García Lorca Hall, was officially opened in 1838 in Havana, Cuba. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Pablo Ruiz Picasso (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. ... Maya Plisetskaya, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet from 1943 to 1960 and prima balerina assoluta from 1960 to 1990. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Anna Pavlova as Giselle in Act I (ca. ... Painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas, 1872. ...

Biography

Early life

Alonso, the youngest of four children, was born in Havana, Cuba, she was the daughter of an army officer and his wife. The family was financially comfortable and lived in a fashionable section of the then-vibrant capital. Alonso indicated at a very early age an affinity for music and dance - her mother could occupy her happily for long periods with just a phonograph, a scarf, and some records, she started dancing at the age of nine and started her ballet studies at Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical in Havana with Sophie Fedorova, a year later performed publicly for the first time in Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. Alonso danced in Cuba under the name of Alicia Martinez. Nickname: Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515 Government  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area  - City 721. ... Edison cylinder phonograph ca. ... A scarf is a piece of textile worn on or near the head or around the neck for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons. ... Sophie Fedorova born in 1879, died in 1963, was a Russian ballerina graduated from the Bolshoi School in 1899 and joined the Bolshoi Ballet, where she was most admired as a character ballerina. ...

The dancer's rapid progress in her lessons came to an abrupt halt in 1937, when the 16-year-old fell in love with and married a fellow ballet student, Fernando Alonso, that's when she changed to last name to Alonso. The new couple moved to New York City, hoping to begin their professional careers there and found a home with relatives in the Spanish Harlem section of the city. Alonso soon gave birth to a daughter, Laura, but managed to continue her training at the School of American Ballet and take private classes with Leon Fokine, Alexandra Fedorova, Enrico Zanfretta, and Anatole Vilzak. She then arranged to travel to London to study for a time with the renowned Vera Volkova. Meanwhile, her husband had joined the new Mordkin Ballet Company in New York. Since she was nineteen, Alicia was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be, and she used lights in different parts of the stage to guide her. New York, NY redirects here. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Vera Volkova (1904-1975) was an influential Russian ballet dancer and dance teacher. ...

Alonso's professional debut

While in New York, Alicia danced in the musicals Great Lady (choreographed by George Balanchine) in 1938 and Stars in Your Eyes in 1939. She was a soloist with American Ballet Caravan in 1939 and 1940. Perhaps discouraged by this less-than-auspicious beginning, Alonso sent Laura back to her family in Cuba, determined to remove all distractions from her training. She and Fernando embarked upon a stringent and unrelenting physical regime and vigilantly scoured all opportunities for their big break into the world of ballet. Dancer Agnes de Mille had become a friend of the couple at this point and later recalled wondering how the Alonsos could put themselves through such grueling pain and sacrifice. Meanwhile, the dancer joined the American Ballet Caravan as a soloist in 1939 and stayed with the company when it became the New York City Ballet in 1940. Occasionally, Alonso would return to Cuba to dance as prima ballerina with Havana's Teatro Pro-Arte. Logo of the New York City Ballet The New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein originally known as the American Ballet. ...

In 1941 Alonso was one of the founding members of the American Ballet Theatre (at that time called Ballet Theatre)[3]. In 1941, the new Ballet Theater chose Alonso as a dancer for its corps de ballet, a group of dancers who performed together in a company. As part of this job, she had to do 90 minutes of demanding exercises every morning in the company class, but Alonso chose to take a second class at another school later in the day as well. Each night before her performance, she would do an elaborate warm-up routine coached by Fernando, after which she would go to her dressing room, dry off, and get into her costume. Accounts from this period say that Alonso would go on to give brilliant performances, but de Mille eventually chastised her friend for continuing the harsh regimen. Alonso reportedly replied that she had to continue in order to "get strong." In fact, the intense work had changed the dancer's body so that her immense strength and capability were obvious. Critics began to take notice and wrote rave reviews of the ballerina they called a rising star. While with American Ballet Theatre, Alonso created leading roles in Antony Tudor's Undertow (1943), and George Balanchine's Theme and Variations (1947). Because of Nora Kaye's illness, Alonso danced the premier of Agnes de Mille's Fall River Legend in 1948. While in American Ballet Theatre she worked with Mikhail Fokine, George Balanchine, Léonide Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins and Agnes de Mille, among other relevant choreographers of our century. From that moment, her career flourished as she started dancing leading roles of masterpieces from the Classical and Romantic repertory. Her partnership with Igor Youskevitch was one of the great teams and together with him she joined Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in 1955. Alonso performed leading roles in important world premieres such as Undertow, Fall River Legend, and Theme & Variations. As a member of ABT, she performed as a principal dancer in various European and American countries. For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... The American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... Antony Tudor in “Gala Performance”, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Antony Tudor (April 4, 1909 - April 19, 1987), born William Cook, was an English choreographer and dancer who choreographed numerous ballets. ... George Balanchine (January 9 (O.S.) = January 22 (N.S.), 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th centurys foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. ... Nora Kaye (January 17, 1920-February 28, 1987) was an American ballerina, who was also called the Duse of Dance, after actress, Eleonora Duse. ... Agnes de Mille in “3 Virgins and a Devil”, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. ... Michel Fokine or Mikhail Mikhailovich Fokin (Михаил Михайлович Фокин) (April 23, 1880 (OS: April 11) – August 22, 1942) was a Russian choreographer and dancer. ... George Balanchine (January 9 (O.S.) = January 22 (N.S.), 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th centurys foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. ... Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (August 9, 1896–March 15, 1979) was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. ... Bronislava Nijinska (January 8, 1891 - February 21, 1972) was a Russian dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Polish descent, also known as Bronislava Fominitshna Nizhinskaya; in Polish language: BronisÅ‚awa NiżyÅ„ska. ... Antony Tudor in “Gala Performance”, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Antony Tudor (April 4, 1909 - April 19, 1987), born William Cook, was an English choreographer and dancer who choreographed numerous ballets. ... Jerome Robbins in Three virgins and a devil. ... Agnes de Mille in “3 Virgins and a Devil”, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. ... Igor Youskevitch in Le carnaval, between 1936-37 Igor Youskevitch (13 March 1912-13 June 1994) was a ballet dancer of Russian-Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century and as a dance partner to Alicia Alonso. ... Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and resident first in Théâtre Mogador, Paris; and then in Monte Carlo. ... Look up undertow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article should belong in one or more categories. ...

Vision Problems

After seeing the doctor for worsening vision problems, Alonso was diagnosed in 1941 with a detached retina. She had surgery to correct the problem and was ordered to lie in bed motionless for three months to allow her eyes to heal. Unable to comply completely, Alonso practiced with her feet alone, pointing and stretching to, as she put it, "keep my feet alive." When the bandages came off, Alonso was dismayed to find that the operation had not been completely successful. The doctors performed a second surgery, but its failure caused them to conclude that the dancer would never have peripheral vision. Finally, Alonso consented to a third procedure in Havana, but this time was ordered to lay completely motionless in bed for an entire year. She was not permitted to play with Laura, chew food too hard, laugh or cry, or move her head. Her husband sat with her every day, using their fingers to teach her the great dancing roles of classical ballet. From Women in World History, Alonso later recalled of that period, "I danced in my mind. Blinded, motionless, flat on my back, I taught myself to dance Giselle." Human eye cross-sectional view. ...

Finally, she was allowed to leave her bed, although dancing was still out of the question. Instead, she walked with her dogs and, against doctor's orders, went to the ballet studio down the street every day to begin practicing again. Then, just as her hope was returning, Alonso was injured when a hurricane shattered a door in her home, spraying glass splinters onto her head and face. Amazingly, her eyes were not injured. When her doctor saw this, he cleared Alonso to begin dancing, figuring that if she could survive an explosion of glass, dancing would do no harm.

Back to Work at Last

Nearly mad with impatience and still partially blind, Alonso traveled back to New York in 1943 to begin rebuilding her skills. However, before she had barely settled, out of the blue she was asked to dance Giselle to replace the ballet Theater's injured prima ballerina. Alonso accepted and gave such a performance that the critics immediately declared her a star. She was promoted to principal dancer of the company in 1946 and danced the role of Giselle until 1948, also performing in Swan Lake, Anthony Tudor's Undertow (1943), Balanchine's Theme and Variations (1947), and in such world premieres as de Mille's dramatic ballet Fall River Legend (1948), in which she starred as the Accused. By this time in her career, she had developed a reputation as an intensely dramatic dancer, as well as an ultra-pure technician and a supremely skilled interpreter of classical and romantic repertories. NY redirects here. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Anna Pavlova as Giselle in Act I (ca. ... Altynai Asylmuratova as Odette in the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballets production of Swan Lake, St. ... This article should belong in one or more categories. ...

Alonso's longtime dance partnership with the Ballet Theater's Igor Youskevitch has been compared to that of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Youskevitch and her other partners quickly became expert at helping Alonso conceal her handicap. To compensate for only partial sight in one eye and no peripheral vision, the ballerina trained her partners to be exactly where she needed them without exception. She also had the set designers install strong spotlights in different colors to serve as guides for her movements. Alonso knew, for instance, that if she stepped into the glow of the spotlights near the front of the stage, she was getting too close to the orchestra pit. There was also a thin wire stretched across the edge of the stage at waist height as another marker for her, but in general she danced within the encircling arms of her partners and was led by them from point to point. Audiences were reportedly never the wiser as they watched the prima ballerina. Igor Youskevitch in Le carnaval, between 1936-37 Igor Youskevitch (13 March 1912-13 June 1994) was a ballet dancer of Russian-Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century and as a dance partner to Alicia Alonso. ... Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska,[1] was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an Academy Award-winning American film and stage actress and singer. ...

A New Endeavor in Havana

Alonso's desire to develop ballet in Cuba led her to returned to Havana in 1948 to found her own company, the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company, which she maintained with little financial support, this company eventually became Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Fernando was general director of the company, which was at that time composed mainly of Ballet Theater dancers temporarily out of work due to a reorganization in the New York company. Fernando's brother Alberto, a choreographer, served as artistic director for the company. 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Cuban National Ballet (Ballet Nacional de Cuba) is managed by Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso and is one of the top ballet companies in the world. ...

The company debuted briefly in the capital and then departed for a tour of South America. The performances were a hit with audiences everywhere, but Alonso found herself funding the company with her savings to keep it going despite donations from wealthy families and a modest subsidy from the Cuban Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, she commuted between Havana and New York to recruit the world's best teachers to train her new students. She remained a sought-after prima ballerina during this hectic time, dancing twice in Russia in 1952 and then producing and starring in Giselle for the Paris Opera in 1953. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Anna Pavlova as Giselle in Act I (ca. ... Exterior of the Palais Garnier. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Between 1955 and 1959, Alicia danced every year with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo as guest star. She was the first dancer of the Western Hemisphere to perform in the Soviet Union, and the first American representative to dance with the Bolshoi and Kirov Theaters of Moscow and Leningrad (St. Petersburg) respectively in 1957 and 1958. During the decades to follow Alicia Alonso had cross-world tours through West and East European countries, Asia, North and South America, and she danced as guest star with the Opera de Paris, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Bolshoi and with other companies.^[1] She has staged her versions of Giselle, Pas de Quatre, and Sleeping Beauty for the Paris Opera. She also staged Giselle at the Vienna State Opera and the San Carlo Theater of Naples, Italy; La Fille Mal Gardee at the Prague State Opera, and Sleeping Beauty at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and resident first in Théâtre Mogador, Paris; and then in Monte Carlo. ... Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre is a theatre and theater company in Moscow, Russia, which gives performances of plays, ballet, and opera. ... Kirov can refer to: Sergey Kirov, Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet communist The north-eastern European Russian city Kirov, center of Kirov Oblast The Soviet warship Kirov, now of the Russian Navy, lead ship of the Kirov class of battlecruisers. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград) may mean: St. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Anna Pavlova as Giselle in Act I (ca. ... Lithograph by A. E. Chalon of Carlotta Grisi (left), Marie Taglioni (center), (right back), and Fanny Cerrito (right front) in the Perrot/Pugni Pas de Quatre, London, 1845 Pas de Quatre is a ballet divertissement choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin Lumley, Director at His... Sir Edward Burne-Jones painted The Sleeping Beauty. ... Opéra National de Paris is the leading opera company of France. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... Naples (Italian: , Neapolitan: Nàpule, from Greek Νεάπολη < Νέα Πόλις Néa Pólis New City) Capital of the Campania region and the Province of Naples. ... La Fille mal gardée (The Badly Guarded Daughter or The Wayward Daughter or The Misbehaved Daughter) is a comic ballet in three acts, which was choreographed by Sir Frederick Aston, with music by Ferdinand Hérold. ... The State Opera (Czech: Státní opera) is one of two major opera houses Prague, the other being the National Theatre (Národní divadlo). ... La Scala The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala for short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ...

Political Change in Cuba

By the mid-1950s, the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company was in dire straights financially and politically. A dictator, Fulgencio Batista, had taken control and was determined to quash the heavy opposition to his rule. Supported by the island's financial infrastructure, the Mafia, and American business interests, he mercilessly repressed anyone who stood in his path. Declaring that all artists and intellectuals were left-wing sympathizers, he drastically cut what little funding the government had given Alonso's ballet school and touring group. Forced to work in nightclubs to earn a living, the dancers often had no energy to perform for Alonso. As the dancer became increasingly vocal in her disdain for Batista, the regime offered her five hundred dollars a month in perpetuity to stop her criticism. Disgusted, she folded her school in 1956 and joined the Ballet Rousse de Monte Carlo with Yousevitch. General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (pronounced ) (January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was the de facto military leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1940, and thus the eminence grise of Cuban politics for that period of time, and the de jure President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 after... The Mafia (also referred to as Cosa Nostra or the Mob), is a criminal secret society which first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Alonso worked with the Ballet Rousse until 1959, during which time she performed in a 10-week tour of the Soviet Union, dancing in Giselle, the Leningrad Opera Ballet's Path of Thunder, and other pieces. Her performances earned her the coveted Dance Magazine Award in 1958. Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград) may mean: St. ... Dance Magazine is a major American trade publication for dance. ...

Castro Lured Her Back Home

When Fidel Castro took power from the Batista dictatorship on January 1, 1959, Castro vowed to increase funding to the nation's languishing cultural programs. Encouraged by this sudden change and eager to see her homeland again, Alonso returned to Cuba and in March 1959 received $200,000 in funding to form a new dance school, to be called the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, along with a guarantee of annual financial support. She officially founded the school in 1960, and within several years her dancers were winning international dance competitions. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

Alonso felt strongly that she and her ballet school were "very much part of the Cuban revolution." She wanted her dancers to bring the beauty and excitement of ballet to the island nation's workers and farmers who had virtually no experience with artistic expression. She and her dancers even helped to bring in the crops from the fields, Alonso wearing a wide Vietnamese worker's hat as a political statement.

Disappeared from American Artistic Scene

Because of her intense and passionate affiliation with the new communist government in Havana, American audiences turned their backs on the prima ballerina and she vanished from the country's cultural radar. However, her company continued to build its prowess and achievements in both Eastern and Western Europe. In 1967 and 1971 she performed in Canada, where reviewers noted that Alonso was still the greatest ballerina of her time. When the Vietnam War ended and Richard Nixon left the presidency, Alonso was permitted to perform again in the United States in 1975 and 1976. An American reviewer said of the dancer, then 54 years old and a grandmother, "she creates more sexual promise than ballerinas half her age." The state-run Cuban film industry made a film containing all of Alonso's repertoire, but in American ballet circles she had been all but forgotten. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Nickname: Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515 Government  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area  - City 721. ... Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

Ballet Nacional de Cuba performing in the Great Theater of Havana

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 559 pixelsFull resolution (859 × 600 pixel, file size: 213 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Ballet Nacional de Cuba performing in the Great Theater. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 559 pixelsFull resolution (859 × 600 pixel, file size: 213 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Ballet Nacional de Cuba performing in the Great Theater. ... The Great Theater of Havana The Great Theater of Havana, former The Great Tacón Theater, also known as the García Lorca Hall, was officially opened in 1838 in Havana, Cuba. ...

Ended Days of Dancing and Beyond Alonso's career

Alonso danced solos in Europe and elsewhere well into her 70s, although her near blindness became increasingly apparent. In 1995, she and a number of other aging National Ballet members performed in San Francisco in a piece called In the Middle of the Sunset. Reviewers deemed the work an allegory about the crushed dreams of the Cuban revolution and lamented that so many of the superstar's productive years had been spent under the isolating umbrella of communism. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Alonso continued to serve as the director of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba in the early twenty-first century. Numerous books have been written on the ballerina, including Alicia Alonso: At Home and Abroad (1970), Alicia Alonso: The Story of a Ballerina (1979), Alicia Alonso: A Passionate Life of Dance (1984), and Alicia Alonso: First Lady of the Ballet (1993). During a November 2003 on-stage interview prior to a Cuban National Ballet performance in San Diego, California, she exclaimed, "I'm so happy to be here. And I'm happy whenever I'm on the stage. The stage is where a dancer should be, even if it's only to walk or sit. I am at home on the stage."

As director and leading dancer of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Alicia Alonso has been an inspiration and guide to the new generations of Cuban dancers. With her own consummate style, she has left her mark on the international world of dance. Some of her former and more famous students are now dancing at the American Ballet Theatre, the Boston Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Washington Ballet, the Cincinnati Ballet and the Royal Ballet, among others. She has created her own works including La Tinaja, Ensayos Sinfonicos, and Lidia. She appeared in a feature-length documentary made in Cuba about her and her work Alicia (1977). She has served on juries at international dance competitions in Bulgaria, Russia, Japan, Brazil, and the United States. The American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... The Boston Ballet is a professional ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... San Francisco Ballet, or SFB, is a San Francisco, USA based ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. ... The Washington Ballet is one of the premiere ballet companies in the United States. ... The Cincinnati Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1958 in Cincinnati, United States. ... Royal Ballet may refer to: Royal Ballet, London Birmingham Royal Ballet Royal Winnipeg Ballet Royal Danish Ballet There is also an article about the Royal Ballet School in London, England. ... Media:Example. ...

In June 2002 she was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her outstanding contribution to the development, preservation and popularisation of classical dance and for her devotion to the art-form, through which she has promoted the ideals of UNESCO and the fellowship of the world’s peoples and cultures.

She continues to direct her Ballet Nacional de Cuba, even though she is in her eighties and almost blind.

Awards (selected)

• the Dance Magazine Annual Award, 1934
• the Dance Magazine Annual Award, 1958
• the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris, 1966
• Anna Pavlova Award of the University of Dance, Paris, 1966
• the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris together with her company, 1970
• Order of Work of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1974
• Gold Medal of the Gran Teatro by Premio Gran Teatro de La Habana in 1985
• National Prize for Dance from the Ministry of Culture of Cuba, 1998
• Gold medal from the Circulo de Bellas Artes of Madrid, 1998
• UNESCO Pablo Picasso Medal for her extraordinary contribution to dance, 1999
• Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris, 1999
• Premio Benois de la Danza, 2000

Recognitions (selected)

• Honorary doctorate in art from the University of Havana, 1973
• Received an international homage in Paris, organized by UNESCO, 1980
• Council of State of the Republic of Cuba gave her the Order Felix Varela, 1981
• Honorary doctorate in dancing art from the Superior Institute of Arts of Cuba, 1987
• Rreceived the Commendation of Isabel Catholic Order, given by the King of Spain Juan Carlos I, 1993
• Public recognition was given in her honor at the Scientific, Artistic, and Literary Ateneo of Madrid for her valuable artistic and cultural creations, 1996
• The Ballet Nacional de Cuba honored Alicia Alonso on the 50th anniversary of Theme & Variations, the great ballet created by George Balanchine for her and Igor Youskevitch, 1997
• Honorary degree from the Universidad Politecnica of Valencia, 1998
• Art & Letters Order, Commander Degree, from the Ministry of Culture and Communication of France, 1998
• Order José Martí by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, 2000
• Received the highest official awards from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Panama: the Order Aguila Azteca, the Order Vasco Nunez de Balboa, and the Order Duarte, Sanchez, and Mella, respectively
• Named National Hero of Labor in Cuba
• Holds membership in the Advisory Council to the Ministry of Culture in the National Committee of Writers and Artists Union of Cuba
• Holds membership in the Collaborating Council of the Governing Boards of the Federation of Cuban Women

The University of Havana or UH (in Spanish, Universidad de La Habana) is a university located in Havana, Cuba. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... The Spanish monarchy, referred to as the Crown of Spain (Corona de España) in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, is the office of the King or Queen of Spain. ... King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... Motto: De Madrid al Cielo (From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... George Balanchine (January 9 (O.S.) = January 22 (N.S.), 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th centurys foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. ... Igor Youskevitch in Le carnaval, between 1936-37 Igor Youskevitch (13 March 1912-13 June 1994) was a ballet dancer of Russian-Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century and as a dance partner to Alicia Alonso. ... José Martí Statue of José Martí on horseback in New Yorks Central Park - Anna Hyatt Huntington, 1959 Bust of José Martí in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida Statue of José Martí, Parque Central, Havana, by José Vilalta Saavedra, 1905 José Julián Martí y Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May...

See also

Cuba Portal

• List of Cubans

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References

Notes

Sources

• Magazine Cuba in the Ballet. Founded in 1970. ISSN 0864-1307.
• Cuba Magazine in the Ballet ISSN 0864-1307. Cultural Publication specialized in the world of the Cuban ballet, includes critical, chronicle, and comments..., as well as a news section.
• National Ballet of Cuba: half a century of glory. Book that colects the fifty years of the company. Written by Miguel Cabrera (Punta Brava, Havana, 1941), Historian of the BNC, summarizes the most outstanding aspects in five decades where generations of dancers, choreographers and specialized personnel have given the best. The book provides good information of the NBC, including tours, ballets through out its history. Published by Ediciones Cuba in the Ballet. Format: 20 x 21 cms. 285 pages.
• University for All (Tabloid). History and Appreciation of the Ballet. Format: 38 x 29 cm. 32 pages. Cultural publication with texts that support the telelectures delivered by specialists of the National Ballet of Cuba and other guest personalities.
• DIALOGUES WITH THE DANCE, by Alicia Alonso. It is the fourth edition of this title, in which the reader will be able to find memories of the initial moments of her career, brief impressions on some works of her repertoire, testimonies about famous personalities she worked with, as well as points of view sometimes referred to polemic questions concerning the dancer's profession and the art of the dance in general. Política Publisher. Format: 15 x 22 cms. 378 pages.

External links

• 1 - Alicia Alonso entry in Encyclopedia Britannica
• 2 - American Ballet Theatre souvenir program showing Alicia as one of the leading dancers.
• 3 - Alicia Alonso Biography
• 4 - Alicia at UNESCO
• 5 - Alicia, the Grand Diva
• ABT Original Carmen premiere
• ABT Original Theme and Variations
• Alicia Alonso
• Entrevista a Alicia Alonso
• Ballet Nacional de Cuba