Alicia Alonso

Alicia Alonso was a legendary Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. This title refers to a dancer of the highest possible rank. She was world-renowned for her intense dramatic performances. She was also recognized as an ultra-pure technician. Her skill allowed her to master both classical and romantic ballet repertoires. She is most famous for her portrayals of the character Giselle. She also excelled in the ballet version of Carmen.

Alonso faced a significant challenge because of her vision. At age nineteen, she was diagnosed with a detached retina. This condition caused her to become partially blind. She underwent several surgeries to try to correct the problem. After these procedures, she had no peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is the ability to see things to the sides of your central focus. This meant she could not see what was happening at the edges of her sight.

To continue her career, Alonso developed a precise system for navigating the stage. She worked with set designers to install strong spotlights in different colors. These lights acted as visual guides for her movements. For example, a specific glow helped her avoid the orchestra pit. She also used a thin wire stretched at waist height across the stage edge. This wire served as a physical marker. Furthermore, she trained her dance partners to be in exact locations. They led her from point to point so the audience never noticed her handicap.

Her journey began in Havana, Cuba, in 1920. She was the daughter of a lieutenant veterinarian and a dressmaker. In 1929, her family moved to Spain for eighteen months. During this time, she studied traditional Spanish dances like the Jota, Malagueñas, and Sevillanas. She returned to Cuba in 1931 to study ballet with Nikolai Yavorsky. Alonso made her first public appearance at age eleven. By 1932, she was performing in major productions like Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty.

Alonso moved to New York City to pursue her professional career. She married fellow student Fernando Alonso at age sixteen. While in the United States, she studied at the School of American Ballet. In 1943, she performed the role of Giselle for the Ballet Theatre. This performance made her an immediate star among critics. She was promoted to principal dancer in 1946. She performed in many world premieres, including deMille's Fall River Legend in 1948.

In 1948, Alonso returned to Havana to establish the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company. This group eventually became the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. She founded a ballet academy to train Cuban dancers. After the political changes in Cuba in 1959, she received $200,000 in funding. This support helped her officially form the Ballet Nacional de Cuba in 1960. She was a global performer who traveled to Russia, Europe, and Asia. She was the first Western dancer to perform in the Soviet Union. She also danced with the Bolshoi and Kirov theaters in 1957 and 1958.

Alonso's leadership was powerful and sometimes controversial. She ruled the company with an authoritarian hand. She often limited the careers of younger dancers who she saw as competition. This led some talented dancers to defect from Cuba. Despite this, her influence on the art form was massive. She taught many students who went on to join prestigious groups like the American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Ballet. Her life has been documented in several books and the 2015 film Horizontes. She continued to lead her company and dance solos into her 70s. Alonso died in Havana in 2019 at the age of 98.