Alicia Alonso

Alicia Alonso Martínez (born Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad Martínez Hoya on December 21, 1921) is the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. Her company became the Ballet de Cuba in 1955. She is most famous for her portrayals of Giselle and the ballet version of Carmen. From the age of nineteen, Alicia was afflicted with an eye defect and was partially blind. Her partners always had to be in the exact place she expected them to be, and she used lights in different parts of the stage to guide them.