Alicia
Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martínez Hoyo
Fernando
Alonso
n/a
Alicia Alonso started dancing in Cuba at the age
of Nine, her nickname was 'Unga' (short for Hungarian)
was the first Latin American (Cuban) to achieve worldwide
recognition as a classic ballerina. Became a Prima Ballerina with
the European Ballet Theater in 1946. Alicia was the youngest of
four children. One of the first dancers she learned was the Flamenco
dance with Castanets.
Alicia would learn ballet at the 'Sociedad
Pro Arte Musical' - School of Ballet studying with Nicolai Yavorsky.
It was here she meet Danseur Fernando
Alonso whom she married at the age of fifteen, then moving to
New York in 1937.
In her prime it was discovered that she had
a problem with seeing which was diagnosed as "detachment
of the Retina" and was said after the operation to correct
her vision she would never dance again, she proved everyone wrong.
After her surgery she finally returned to dancing and got a big
break to dance "Giselle" after Alicia Markova became
Ill.
In 1948 Alicia formed the "Academia Nacional
de Ballet Alicia Alonso" in Havana. The Havana Press donated
land for them to build their school. She Formed her own troupe
called Alicia Alonso Company.
Ballrooms
