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In our ongoing series #WomenThatDid, ENTITY profiles inspirational and famous women in history whose impact on our world can still be felt today. If you have a suggestion for a historical powerhouse you would like to see featured, tweet us with the hashtag #WomenThatDid.
NAME: Alicia Alonso
LIFETIME: December 21, 1921 – Present
WHAT SHE IS KNOWN FOR: Alicia Alonso, one of the famous women in history, is a Cuban prima ballerina absoluta and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet Nacional de Cuba in 1955. She is most famous for her portrayals of Giselle and the ballet version of Carmen.
WHY WE LOVE HER: Alicia was born in Havana, one of two daughters of an army officer. She revealed an affinity for dance and music early in her life. In 1931 she began study at the Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical in Havana, with Nikolai Yavorsky. She performed publicly for the first time on December 29, 1931. However, her first serious performance was Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty in 1932. As a teenager, she met and fell in love with fellow ballet student, Fernando Alonso, whom she married at age 15. The couple then moved to New York City to begin their careers. She gave birth to a daughter in 1938, but managed to continue her training with the School of American Ballet.
After two years of no dancing, Alicia began her training again. Before she had settled into her routine, she was asked to dance Giselle to replace an injured prima ballerina. She accepted and gave the most memorable performance of her life. She became the company’s principal ballerina, performing in Swan Lake, Undertow, Balachine’s Themes and Variations, and Fall River Legend. She returned to Havana in 1948 to found her own company, with a focus on Cuban dancers. She became the first dancer from the Western hemisphere to perform in the Soviet Union.
When Castro came to power, she was endowed with a $200,000 grant to ensure the success of her company. Alicia continued to dance well into her 70s and served as the director of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba until the early 21st century. Today, she is 95 years old.
FUN FACT: In 1941 Alicia had surgery to correct a detached retina, but was discouraged to find it was not entirely successful. She said, “I danced in my mind. Blinded, motionless, flat on my back. I taught myself to dance Giselle.” She was partially blinded after two surgeries, but it did not stop her from dancing. She relied on her partner’s to exact precision in their movements and used stage lights to guide her.
