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The company already enjoys strong ties to Cuba, thanks to the island's top ballet dancer, Alicia Alonso. Born in Havana on Dec. 20, 1920, she began dancing professionally in the United States, becoming part of the American Ballet Theatre in 1940. Alonso briefly returned to Cuba, then rejoined the company in 1943. She was promoted to the role of principal dancer three years after that, becoming especially acclaimed for her interpretation of Giselle. Alonso founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company in Cuba in 1948, and it took off after Fidel Castro came to power on New Year's Day 1959 and began to lend both personal and financial support. Her company became the National Ballet of Cuba, and Alonso later founded a national ballet school. She appears frequently at dance events in Havana despite her failing eyesight. In June, she traveled to New York and attended an American Ballet Theatre's performance of Don Quixote in her honor. "She is extraordinarily important for us," Moore said.
[Associated
Press;
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