Alicia Alonso was a Cuban ballerina and choreographer born in Havana on December 21, 1920, and she passed away in the same city on October 17, 2019, at the age of 98. Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the National Ballet of Cuba, she is regarded as a legend in the world of dance, renowned for her performances in Giselle and Carmen, among many others.
Alonso was born in Havana and was one of the two daughters of an army officer and his wife. The family enjoyed a comfortable and affluent lifestyle, living in one of the best areas of the capital. From a very young age, Alonso displayed an affinity for music and dance—her mother could entertain her for long periods with just a phonograph, a scarf, and a few records.
She started dancing at the age of seven.
In June 1931, she began studying ballet at the Pro-Arte Musical Society in Havana with Nikolai Yavorsk and performed publicly for the first time on December 29, 1931, at the age of 10. Her first serious debut was in Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty at the Auditorium Theater on October 26, 1932. She originally danced in Cuba under the name Alicia Martínez.
In 1937, the dancer fell in love with a fellow ballet student, Fernando Alonso, whom she married. After their marriage, she changed her last name to Alonso, by which she would be known internationally. The new couple moved to New York City, hoping to begin their professional careers. There, they found accommodation with some relatives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, near Riverside Drive. She gave birth to a daughter, Laura, but managed to continue her training at the American Ballet School and took private lessons. She traveled to London to study with Vera Volkova. Meanwhile, her husband joined the new Mordkin Ballet Company in New York.
After experiencing several vision problems, she was diagnosed in 1941 with issues in her retina, which led to her undergoing surgery three times and losing some of her peripheral vision. Nevertheless, she continued with her career and returned to New York in 1943 to further improve her style.
Alonso worked with the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet from 1955 to 1959, during which he participated in a 10-week tour of the Soviet Union, dancing in Giselle. His performances earned him the Dance Magazine award in 1958.
Due to Alonso's affiliation with the new regime established in Havana, the public in the United States largely turned their backs on her. The Cuban government from the 1960s to the 1980s did not allow Cubans to engage in relations with the United States, partly out of fear of defectors. However, Alonso's company continued to achieve success in both Eastern and Western Europe. In 1967 and 1971, she performed in Canada, where collaborators noted that Alonso remained the greatest dancer of her time.
In 1998, the University of Valencia (Spain) awarded her the title of Professor Honoris Causa.
In 2010, the Ministry of Culture declared 2010 as "The Year of Alicia Alonso", in celebration of the 90th anniversary of her birth. Both in Cuba and in various parts of the world, she received heartfelt tributes and was honored with significant distinctions from cultural, social, and political entities.
Some of her national and international awards include the National Order of Merit Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and the title of "Dame," Republic of Cuba, 1947; the "Palma de Revolución" awarded to the most outstanding artist by the newspaper Revolución, 1961; the plaque for "Outstanding Woman in Art" from the Federation of Cuban Women, 1963-67; a Recognition Diploma from the National Committee of the Union of Young Communists, 1966; the Order for "30 Years of Dedication to Art" from the National Union of Arts and Shows, 1968; the Medal of Honor from the Greek Theatre of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America, 1957; the Grand Prize of the City of Paris at the IV International Dance Festival, Paris, France, 1966; and the Gold Medal from the Gran Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, Spain, 1971.
