Aurora Bosch receives distinction awarded by France

June 30, 2022

The great Cuban dancer and teacher Aurora Bosch stated today that the distinction Knight of the National Order of Merit, awarded by France, is one of the pleasant surprises within her remarkable artistic trajectory.

In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, Bosch, considered one of the most solid pillars of the Cuban ballet school, valued the significance of this honor, among the highest awarded to nationals and foreigners in that European territory.

"From the beginning of my career I have received many joys, I feel very loved and honored. I did not expect such recognition, conferred moreover for my performance as the Queen of the Willies, in the work Giselle, during the IV International Dance Festival of Paris," she confessed.

Bosch recalled that, on that occasion, Alicia Alonso deserved the Grand Prize of the Ville, for her choreographic version and personal interpretation of that nineteenth-century piece and mentioned the Ana Pavlova Prize, awarded to her by the Dance University of the French capital.

"A Queen of the Willies never before seen in Paris" was one of the many praises provided by specialists, communicators and critics of art and literature to the then soloist of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) during the cultural event, held at the Theater of the Champs-Élysées in 1966.

Known as one of the four jewels, along with Loipa Araújo, Mirta Plá and Josefina Méndez, the Island's teacher deserved such distinction for her significant contributions to that artistic manifestation and her special relations with France.

During the awards ceremony, which took place this Tuesday at the diplomatic headquarters in Havana, ambassador Patrice Paoli valued Bosch's role in Giselle, a masterpiece premiered 181 years ago by the Ballet of the Theater of the Royale Academy of Music at the Opera of Paris.

"I felt like I was in a dream, but today I put my feet on the ground and went to teach classes. I received numerous tokens of affection and consideration for my work and daily effort," revealed the artist, whose history in dance began in the early 1950s.

Precisely, she shared in exclusive detail, the materialization of a book about her performance on stage and current academic routine, a volume that will include her celebrated participation in classics such as Swan Lake, Coppélia, La bayadera and Sleeping Beauty of the Forest.