The National Bank of Cuba is honoring prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso with the release of a series of commemorative coins for collectors.
The tribute, an engraving of the ballerina's image on one side of the coins, honors the work of Cuba's most universally acclaimed artist, whose centenary was celebrated December 21, Prensa Latina reported.
According to Resolution 188/2020, published in the Republic of Cuba’s Official Gazette, January 14, 2021, the back of the coins will feature the national coat of arms.
The National Ballet reported that the series will include 200 gold coins, 2,000 silver and 5,000 of cuni, a copper-nickel alloy.
The series, one of the most important commemorations of Alonso's centenary, will be produced by the Comprehensive Specially Developed Technologies Commercial Enterprise, through the Cuban Mint.
Alicia Alonso (December 21, 1920-October 17, 2019) was renowned for her prodigious turns and her particular approach to mastering the technique, leading historians to assert that she was destined to dance, the language through which she could tell any story, with only the movement of her hands.
Activities planned for the anniversary of her birth were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are to be extended throughout the year, until December 2021, in order to give the commemoration “the glory it deserves," stated Viengsay Valdes, general director of the National Ballet of Cuba.
