Cuban assolute prima ballerina, Alicia Alonso, died this Thursday in this capital, at the age of 98, from cardiovascular disease, sources from the Cuban National Ballet.

Her technical virtuosity and performance skills made her the most universal Cuban dancer; in addition, she made a strong decision to continue dancing and remain active despite the progressive loss of vision.

Alonso, in spite of his advanced age, directed the BNC and the International Ballet Festivals of Havana, and participated in the editing of choreographies.

Born in Havana on December 21, 1920 to Spanish parents, she began learning dance at the age of nine, and in the United States she began her career dancing in musicals such as Great Lady in 1938 and Stars in your eyes in 1939.

Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martínez del Hoyo, Alicia, was one of the founding members of the American Ballet Theatre in 1940 and in 1943 became one of its most outstanding dancers.

In October 1948 she founded the Ballet Alicia Alonso, now BNC, a classical ballet company whose creation is unique in the American continent and is among the most recognized in the world.

Many were the prizes and decorations that the renowned Cuban dancer deserved for her work.

In 2000, the Cuban Council of State awarded her the José Martí Order, the highest decoration awarded by the Cuban Government.

In 2003 Jacques Chirac, then President of France, conferred on her the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor, and in 2017 she was invested as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Her main achievement, however, is to remain in the memory of Cubans and lovers of dance and culture around the world.