Alicia Alonso Martínez (born Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martínez Hoya on December 21, 1920) is the Cuban prima ballerina and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet de Cuba in 1955. She is most famous for her portrayals of Giselle and the ballet version of Carmen. Since she was nineteen, Alicia was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be, and...
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Alicia Alonso Martínez (born Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martínez Hoya on December 21, 1920) is the Cuban prima ballerina and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet de Cuba in 1955. She is most famous for her portrayals of Giselle and the ballet version of Carmen. Since she was nineteen, Alicia was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be, and she used lights in different parts of the stage to guide her.
Alonso was born in Havana, Cuba. She was the one of two daughters of an army officer and his wife. The family was financially comfortable and lived in a fashionable section of the then-vibrant capital. Alonso indicated at a very early age, produced an affinity for music and dance - her mother could occupy her happily for long periods with just a phonograph, a scarf, and some records. She started dancing at the age of seven and at the age of eight, she studied ballet at Sociedad Pro...
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