Cuban National Ballet Honors Alicia Alonso in Her 95th Birthday

Havana.- With fragments of classics like Swan Lake, Gisselle and Carmen, the Cuban National Ballet revered here its maitre and director Alicia Alonso, who today turns 95 years. Under the direction of choreographer Alberto Méndez, the company gave life to essential parts in the career of Alonso, considered the most recognized Cuban dancer in the world.

According to Méndez, the staging pretended not to be a biographical reconstruction, but the evocation of some significant moments of the great ballerina, one of the most important figures in the history of dance internationally.

Undoubtedly, one of the most exciting moments of the show was when the prima ballerina Anette Delgado replaced Gisselle's candor by the fury of Odile to shake the stage with her brilliant interpretation of the Black Swan.

Also, the first dancer Dani Hernández and principal dancer Estheysis Menéndez seduced the audience at the gala through their sensitivity and elegance in the adage of the Swan Lake.

Other important pieces Alonso's career as The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and La Fille Mal Gardée also came alive in the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater of Cuba, which was little to gather all fans of Cuban ballet.

Members of the prestigious company paid tribute to their teacher, who at the end of the function thanked from the stage with reverences and gestures that have characterized her throughout her career.

The Cuban artist founded in 1948 with brothers Fernando and Alberto Alonso, the first professional ballet company in Cuba and then spent much of her time in training new generations of dancers.

She never stopped dancing and her impeccable performances and skill on stage led her to international fame, a condition that never disturbed her performance as a teacher.

With the title of Alicia Alonso, master of generations, the Cuban National Ballet honored its director through a luxury show, with live music performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatro de La Habana, conducted by Giovanni Duarte.

Source: PL