Alicia Alonso, Cuba's ballet legend, dies at age 98

Legendary Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, who achieved global acclaim in the 1940s and went on to run the internationally renowned National Ballet of Cuba for decades, died on Thursday at age 98, state-run media said.

"Alicia Alonso has gone and left an enormous void, but also an unbeatable legacy," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a post on Twitter. "She positioned Cuba at the altar of the best of dance worldwide. Thank you Alicia for your immortal work."

One of the greatest 20th century ballerinas, Alonso used her star power to make a sometimes elitist art form popular on her Caribbean island, forging the world's largest ballet school with a unique bravura style.

Alonso immediately identified herself with the 1959 revolution and, with her dance partner of many years, the Russian Igor Youskevich who died in 1994, performed for the bearded guerrillas of Fidel Castro's rebel army after they took power in Havana. She remained closely associated with the Communist government until the end.

So revered is Alonso in Cuba -- where a perfume carries her name and the huge Coppelia ice cream parlor is named after one of her signature roles -- that she carried the rare title of prima ballerina assoluta, reserved for only the most exceptional of dancers.

"As the daughter of a small Caribbean island, Alonso confronted all the barriers, those who said ballet was an art of developed countries, that the Latino physique and temperament could not adjust to the needs of classical dance," Cuban-born Carlos Acosta, former principal guest artist of the Royal Ballet, said in a statement on Thursday.

"Alicia Alonso destroyed all these prejudices when she made her entrance on the stage."

'HIGHEST LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE'

Alonso's breakout role was "Giselle" in New York on Nov. 2, 1943, when she replaced British dancer Alicia Markova, who fell ill, in the newly formed company that would become the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

For her debut in the ethereal 1841 French Romantic role, Alonso had learned the steps with her hands while recovering from eye surgery.

"Her imprint on ABT as one of the charter members of Ballet Theatre is immeasurable," said Kevin McKenzie, artistic director of the New York-based company, in a statement on Thursday. "Alicia's grace, intelligence and courage will surely leave a lasting impact on our art form."

Petite with an angular face, Alonso danced until her 70s despite having trouble walking, and continued to direct her company with the help of trusted artists who served as her eyes.

"She has a very vivid imagination which allows her to see things in her mind as they would appear on stage," Suki John, an American scholar on Cuban dance whom Alonso had invited to choreograph for the National Ballet of Cuba, told Reuters in a July 2015 interview. "She developed this visual acuity as a young dancer when she had one of her first operations on her eyes."

Alonso for years did not name a successor because, she said, "I will live until I'm 200," according to several of her dancers and collaborators. Critics accused her of holding onto power for too long, even as her health faltered.

Dancer Viengsay Valdés, who was named deputy artistic director in January, is widely expected to take over the company.

Together with her first husband Fernando Alonso and his brother Alberto, the ballerina forged a national ballet style that Castro used to showcase Cuban culture.

With Alonso's prodigious speed, turning ability and attention to stylistic detail as a benchmark, the Cuban school -- which has about 3,000 students -- fused the best from the Russians, French, Italians, British and Americans with Latino flair and Afro-Cuban sensuality.

"We Cubans were born to dance as a people, thanks to the mix of races, the Spanish and the African, both lovers of dance," Alonso told Reuters in 2004. "Cuban dancers immediately stand out with their expressive way of performing the great classics or the moderns."

POLISHING IN ISOLATION

According to Alonso's own account in a 1981 biography, Castro asked her how much money she needed to organize the National Ballet.

"I said $100,000," she recalled.

"We will give you $200,000," he replied.

Alonso choreographed and polished a small repertoire of classic masterpieces in isolation from the rest of the world, creating a style for her company that some critics have called old-fashioned but others have commended as preserving elements neglected outside Cuba.

"Her legacy is a devotion to the classical perfection of ballet," Jane Hermann, U.S. agent for the National Ballet of Cuba since 1978, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Many Cuban dancers who defected on international tours during the Cold War or left afterward earned Alonso's disdain, although some male stars had a freer license to work abroad.

Born on Dec. 21, 1921, Alonso first appeared on stage in Havana in 1931. She married fellow student Fernando at the age of 16 and they soon moved to New York, joining Ballet Caravan, the precursor of New York City Ballet.

By the late 1940s she had performed starring roles, particularly Giselle, at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York and London's Covent Garden. In 1946, Mademoiselle magazine listed her as one of the 10 most distinguished women in the world.

Her vision, which started to deteriorate at age 19, became so bad that she had trouble seeing her fellow dancers and relied on stage lights to guide her. A series of operations in the early 1970s improved her vision.

In 1948, the Alonsos founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company in Havana, but she continued to dance for a while with the American Ballet Theatre. Her ballet company folded in 1956 through lack of funds. The National Ballet was formed after the revolution.

Fernando and Alicia Alonso had one daughter, Laura Alonso, herself an accomplished dancer, who was born in 1938.

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Jay Ledford’s journey as a Filipino-American transgender ballerina

A Filipino-American transgender is slowly tiptoeing her way to performance stages across the United States one grand jete at a time.

When she was 17 months old, Jay, who was born in Leyte, moved to Indiana after the Ledford family adopted her.

As a toddler, Jay prodded her foster parents to enroll her in ballet school.

"I was the only boy at my studio in Indiana, and all I ever wanted was to wear a leotard," Jay said.

Her parents "un-enrolled" her from the ballet studio after the school said boys were not allowed to dance in leotards.

"My parents un-enrolled me and took me to a studio across town, where I enrolled as a female," she said.

Five years into learning pirouettes and splits and arabesques, Jay bagged full scholarships for summer ballet intensives at the Kirov Academy, the Rock School of Dance, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.

Jay brought her skills and dancing dreams wherever the family moved.

When the Ledford family decided to live in Salisbury, Maryland in 2008, Jay trained at the Salisbury Dance Academy and performed with the Eastern Shore Ballet Theater in major roles in the "Nutcracker," "Coppelia," and "The Seven Dwarfs," and many others.

Jay also performed at Disney World in Orlando in Florida.

When the family relocated to Delaware in 2015, Jay started training with Michele Xiques, director of First State Dance Academy.

Jay became a full-time ballet dancer in 2017 after she graduated from high school. It was also when she fully embraced her gender.

"While at the Kirov, I began truly figuring out who I was," she said.

"It was a difficult period of time because I wasn't sure who I could trust."

Jay eventually admitted to being a transgender through a social media post.


"Those final months of the school year were the greatest, because I was able to finally be myself—everyone treated me as me, and nothing different," she said.

"That Instagram post sparked so many direct messages about how inspirational I was to people, or how my story had helped others come out to their own families," she said.

Despite the support she received, opportunities are still "being taken away" because of her gender, Jay said.

"A lot of companies and studios where I danced as a male aren't receptive to me as a female," she said.

"It's definitely hard because you want to be accepted everywhere, but unfortunately, it's not like that," she said.

Jay -- just like her 5-year-old self who refused to drop her ballet shoes when told that she could not dance in leotards -- is nowhere near giving up.

She is training to audition for some ballet companies and colleges where she hopes to further her training en pointe and choreography.

"I'm taking the next year off to train fully as a female and master my pointe technique," she said.

"I hope to end up in a company, and would absolutely love to dance Giselle, Juliet, Odette/Odile, and Aurora—you know, the roles that every little girl dreams of doing when she grows up and finally becomes a ballerina," she said. -- with a report from Jon Melegrito

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Arthur Mitchell, trail-blazing black American ballet dancer, dead at 84

NEW YORK - Arthur Mitchell, a pioneering black American ballet dancer, died Wednesday at the age of 84, the Dance Theater of Harlem troupe which he co-founded announced. 

Born and raised in New York's Harlem, Mitchell joined the New York City Ballet in 1955, after being spotted in the Truman Capote musical "House of Flowers."

In an interview with the New York Times in January, he recalled the often hostile reactions from audiences when he was given his first starring role in the 1955-56 season.

"There happened to be a bald-headed guy sitting right behind the conductor," he told local news channel Fox5 in a February interview. "He said: 'My god! They've got a nigger in the company!'"

"By the end, I got a standing ovation," he said, smiling. "I danced myself into their hearts."

In 1957, he was offered the principal role in "Agon" by the Russian-origin dancer and choreographer George Balanchine, where he would perform opposite white dancer Diana Adams -- unheard of at the time.

"Everybody was against him," Mitchell said in his New York Times interview about Balanchine. "He knew what he was going against, and he said, 'You know my dear, this has got to be perfect.'"

Blessed with a natural elegance and plenty of charisma to boot, Mitchell eschewed media attention for many years and refused to be typecast as the first black dancer to find a place in the upper echelons of the traditionally white, upper-class art form.

"Let me get in the company and whatever I get will be on my hard work and my talent," he said, explaining the spirit of the time in his Fox5 interview.

Asked by the Times what he considered his crowning achievement, he said: "That I actually bucked society, and an art form that was three, four hundred years old, and brought black people into it."

A supporter of the civil rights movement, he co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969 along with Karel Shook. The troupe started out giving lessons in an old car park in 152nd street -- 50 years later it is New York institution.

In June 2015, sixty years after Mitchell first broke the barrier at the New York City Ballet, Misty Copeland became the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer.

"Thank you Mr. Mitchell for helping to change the classical ballet world for our community! Your impact will never fade," she posted on Instagram. 

"@dancetheatreofharlem gave black and brown children, not only a home and future, but the ability to dream. I love you with all my heart and will miss you dearly."

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Review: Fun, exuberant 'Cinderella' ballet

We are all familiar with the story of Cinderella from the classic 1950 Disney full-length animated film. We know her Wicked Stepmother and stepsisters who maltreated her. We know her Fairy Godmother who magically helped her get to the Ball. We know about the Prince and his kingdom-wide search for the owner of glass slipper the mystery lady who ran off at midnight left behind.

We can see all this and more in the latest offering of Ballet Philippines this holiday season, "Cinderella," as choreographed by National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes.

Instead of the traditional Prokofiev score, Ms. Reyes used various pieces by Tchaikovsky to create the perfect musical score for the ballet she had in mind. She added various original elements, like the dance of animals in the garden and the two mischievous brothers of the prince, to lighten the mood for her target audience, the children.

This is already the fifth staging of this original Alice Reyes ballet since she premiered it first in 1981. The restagers this time around are BP Dance School director and ballet masters Victor Ursabia and Ramon Victoria.

The sets and costumes were originally designed by Salvador Bernal, himself a National Artist for Theater Design. The palace set was so opulent and grandiose with meticulous details, enhancing the elegance and vibrancy of the dances performed.

Cinderella was played by a young, upcoming soloist Denise Parungao. She has such a pretty smile and and kind face, perfect for her lead role. Her very slim and lithe physique gives her a very light feeling when she dances, even as she performs difficult moves. (Monica Amanda Gana alternates in this role.)

The most elegant dancer on that stage last night was the regal Rita Angela Winder, who portrayed Fairy Godmother, certainly younger and more beautiful than the one we know from the Disney cartoon. Her stage presence is riveting, always drawing audience attention to her dignified stance. (Katherine Trofeo alternates in this role.)

The male characters play second fiddle to their female counterparts in this program as they mainly play consorts and dance partners. Even the Prince had to dance in groups of multiple dancers during Act 1. Richardson Yadao is a principal dancer of BP but he seemed to lack the regal stature and presence to be the Prince. There were some male members of the company (was that JM Cordero?) looked more "princely" than him, sad to say. He did show why he earned his rank in the company when he danced his solo spots with excellent flourish in Act III. (Earl John Arisola alternates in this role.)

However, definitely the most memorable characters for the audience in this show are the Wicked Stepmother Brunhilda and the comic stepsisters Griselda and Prunella.

For the opening night last November 27, Brunhilda was played by Isabelle Garachon, the wife of the French ambassador, who was a professional dancer back when she was younger. Her face was made up to look scary and stern, but she had a natural sense of humor with her facial expressions. Her moves seemed more flamenco-inspired than ballet, very graceful. BP president Margie Moran-Floriendo will alternate in this role, I am very curious on how she would pull it off. There is a third alternate, Butch Esperanza, a guy -- now that might be fun!

The role of the two stepsisters are probably the most demanding of the whole cast. They had to do physical slapstick comedy in balletic style. That is as difficult as it sounds, but it had to look like they were having a lot of fun doing it. Dancing the clumsy and heavy-footed pair on opening night were Ma. Celina Dofitas (as Griselda) and BP Principal Dancer Katherine Trofeo (as Prunella). They were a riot with the kids and kids at heart in the audience. People were actually laughing out loud at their antics, as unseeming as it may be at a ballet. (Edana Mae Labitoria alternates as Griselda. Rita Angela Winder alternates as Prunella -- now that is something to watch out for!)

I am not really a ballet connoisseur by any measure, but judging this as a casual viewer, this is one full-length ballet my daughter and I truly enjoyed watching. The humorous elements Ms. Reyes added into her choreography really enhanced the enjoyment of the show. I would say that the degree of difficulty of the dancing was heightened because of the sense of comedy it had to project to the audience in the form of dance. This show proved that ballet can indeed be fun to watch!

"Cinderella" will be performed at the CCP Main Theater on December 5 (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.), December 6 (10 a.m. and 6 p.m.), and December 7 (2 p.m. and 6 p.m.).

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."

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Search is on for PH's top ballet dancers

MANILA – The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) has begun accepting applications for its first national ballet competition.

The CCP National Ballet Competition 2014 will be held from November 5 to 8 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater). It is open to male and female solo ballet dancers in the junior and senior categories who can perform both classical variations and original or contemporary pieces.

The junior category includes ballet dancers aged 13 to 18 years old by November 4, 2014. On the other hand, the senior category is open to those who are above 18 years and one day old to 25 years old.

Five adjudicators – four Filipinos and one from the Asian region – will evaluate the competition, with the dancers to be scored based on technique and artistry.

Winners in both junior and senior categories will receive P35,000 (first prize), P25,000 (second prize) and P15,000 (third prize) and the Trudl Dubsky Award for Choreography.

A maximum of 15 finalists will be accepted for each category, with the deadline for submission of applications on July 31, 2014.

For more information, visit the CCP website.

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