By Michael Crabb Alicia Alonso, the iconic Cuban ballerina who died in October, had extraordinary fingers. In conversation you could judge her mood and reactions more accurately through their articulations than by attempting to read her facial expressions. All great dancers cultivate expressiveness in their hands but with Alonso it was more personal. In her
The Havana-based Malpaso Dance Company gave an evocative performance of four distinct pieces at the National Arts Centre on January 19. This spectacular Ottawa debut of Cuba’s first independent dance company, established in 2012, stood out in its equal showcasing of male and female choreographers. The first piece, Indomitable Waltz (2016) by Alberta-born Aszure Barton,
by Toba Singer It inspires Lizt Alfonso that Cuban dance is broader than its renowned achievements in classical ballet. She credits both that breadth and the founders of Cuba’s classical training system — Alicia Alonso and her former husband Fernando Alonso — for shaping her work today. “Cubans dance from birth,” she says. “How we