"There are Cubans who do not like or share the art of ballet, but there is no Cuban who does not recognize Alicia Alonso as one of our symbols," stated Pedro Simon, director of the National Museum of Dance, partner for decades of the one-of-a-kind ballerina, and author of the book Alicia, glorias y escuela, presented February 18 at the headquarters of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists, "Because Alicia is Cuba," added Miguel Barnet.
The Ediciones Cubanas publishing house asked Simon for a summary that would condense the life and work of the founder of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC), and he took on the challenge. As if to put things in their place, he completed the title with two words: Apuntes biográficos (biographical notes).
Indeed, it is not a biography, but rather a platform, as Barnet emphasized, essential to extending the task of creating a much-needed complete, comprehensive and exhaustive biography of one of the most outstanding artists in contemporary Cuban culture and of international renown. Maryxohit Vega, director of the publishing house, described the book as an aspiration fulfilled: a text within everyone's reach.
The voices of critics, admirers, colleagues and poets are all raised. Galina Ulánova, Maurice Béjart, Arnold Haskell, Clives Barnes and Rudolf Nuréyev, among the people around the globe who appreciated Alicia. Alejo Carpentier, Jose Lezama Lima, Alfredo Guevara, Mirta Aguirre, Fina Garcia Marruz, Dulce Maria Loynaz, Barnet himself and Juan Marinello, are among the Cubans. From the latter comes the title, having said, "Alicia Alonso has become a legend, but also a school."
The author presents an exemplary exercise in synthesis, allowing Alicia's multifaceted personality to emerge: dancer, choreographer, leading figure at the American Ballet Theater, originator and developer of the BNC, pillar of the Cuban School of Ballet, teacher, cultural promoter, natural leader. A revolutionary in art and life.
The text is accompanied by photos that were by no means chosen casually. The beautiful images mark milestones, bearing witness to singular moments, showing Alicia's relationship and impact on dance around the world.
Those attending the presentation, among them Uneac president Luis Morlote, and Fernando Rojas, deputy minister of Culture, were moved by the memories shared by Barnet, recalling the night, in 1984, when Alicia electrified the audience at the gala dance performance commemorating the centenary of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York: "I was in the last balcony and from up there I shouted with all my strength: Long live Alicia! Long live Cuba!"
