At the age of 98 the phenonemon that was Alicia Alonso, died last week but her legacy lives on across the island. Overcoming near blindness and numerous other obstacles that would have crippled lesser people, Alonso became one of the greatest ballerinas and starred in the most famous ballets all over the world. In 1948 she formed her own company, which eventually became the Cuban National Ballet.
“As the daughter of a small Caribbean island, Alonso confronted all the barriers, those who said ballet was an art of developed countries, that the Latino physique and temperament could not adjust to the needs of classical dance,” Former pupil Carlos Acosta said.
