International Tribute Dedicated to Alicia Alonso on Her Centennial

August 25, 2020

The XII International Ballet Festival of Cali, Colombia, will pay tribute to Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, on the occasion of commemorating, on December 21st, the centennial of her birth.

The event, presided over by maestro Gloria Castro, founder of the Colombian Institute of Ballet (Incolballet) and sponsored by the Municipal Council, the Department of Culture and Tourism of that city and the Foundations Danza Conmigo and Finbacali, will take place virtually between August 30th and September 5th.

At a press conference, Castro explained the reasons for the tribute: "We could not fail to join the tributes that have been prepared to pay homage to a dancer who is a source of pride for Latin America and recognized as one of the greatest figures of scenic dance in the world, to whom Cali owes so much.

Since the late 1970s, she strengthened the ties between Cuban ballet and Cali ballet, honoring us with her presence and sending us, in solidarity, her excellent dancers, choreographers, teachers and specialists, to contribute to our development.

It was a duty we wanted to fulfill." At the Festival –which emerged in 2007– there will be present, together with the Colombian Ballet Company, ten foreign groups, including the national ballets of Peru and Sodre of Uruguay; the Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico, the Dance Company of Sao Paulo, the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, as well as others from Argentina, Italy and the Czech Republic.

On Monday the 3rd, the Gala of the National Ballet of Cuba will take place, under the general direction of Viengsay Valdés, which will offer a program comprised of scenes from the ballet Giselle, the pas de sept from The Sleeping Beauty and the pas de deux from Don Quixote, in the choreographic versions of Alonso, with the participation of a cast of leading figures, made up of Viengsay Valdés, Anette Delgado, Sadaise Arencibia, Gretel Morejón, Ginet Moncho, Dani Hernández, Rafael Quenedit and Ernesto Díaz. That same day, in the afternoon hours, and on September 1st, at the same time, conferences will be held titled The National Ballet of Cuba, and its importance in Cuban culture, and Women in the work of Latin American dance.

During the development of the Festival, numerous thematic activities have been scheduled, including: a tour through the fascinating world of ballet and talks with experts. The Festival's offering will include 50 broadcasts from 9:00 in the morning until midnight, and can be enjoyed through the Finbacali Channel, on YouTube.

In this way, the XII Cali festival, whose central motto is: Ballet must continue, becomes the pioneer of the tributes that at the international level are scheduled to honor the figure of Alicia Alonso, and which have been postponed due to the difficult epidemiological situation facing humanity.