Alicia Alonso was a ballerina since 1931 when she performed in the "Sleeping Beauty". Ever since then, she has made remarkable performances such as, performing in Clair de Lune, By the Light of the Moon etc. Even though should had not vision in the right eye she still performed a remarkable show. Alicia also had a Ballet studio with her husband Fernando Alonso called the Nacional de Cuba. In her childhood she grew a passion for dancing and studied in Cuba at first. Then she went to go study at New York City. Where overnight she became a overnight sensation because of her performance the "Giselle". After that she became a principal director for her Ballet studio .

I think the book is Fantastic because, it shows that even when you go thorough something that shows that you can do anything that you have a passion for or dream of doing in life. Also that's shows that no matter where you come from , or what race you are you can do just as much. Plus, it gives you a message that, if that person can do it you can do it to. And it shows that you can go through some hard times in life you just have to move pass them and live out your dream. Also this book tells you that even if your male or female you can do just as much as the other person can do. Plus it tells you that even though you come from any country you can do anything you put your mind to. Therefore this book tells me that if you work hard you can achieve anything you can think of. Further more with heart you can let people know you can be a star. ( )

(Read for Multiculturalism & Diversity Discussion assignment) Through free verse poetry, this book tells the life story of a partially-blind, Cuban ballerina named Alicia Alonso. Educating on Alicia's struggle through dance hardships, physical afflictions, and even political hardships relevant to the time period (1930s), her story is inspiring and impactful. Also educates children on the artistic form of free verse.

Wonderful verse biography of the Cuban ballerina. Colon's double-page spread illustrations are outstanding. ( )

Beautifully illustrated story about a famous Cuban ballerina. ( )

One of the advantages to seeking out multicultural literature is finding out about all these awe-inspiring people of whom we otherwise may not have heard.

Alicia Alonso was born in 1921 near Havana, Cuba. She took her first ballet lesson at age eight, starting out in tennis shoes. By the time she was eleven, she was dancing her first solo. In the 1940’s, she suffered detached retinas in both eyes, a condition not easily treatable at the time. Bedridden for a year after surgeries on her eyes, she practiced ballet in her head, learning the ballet Giselle using her fingers as her feet.

Even though partially blind, as she grew up she was a sought-after prima ballerina, becoming the first dancer of the Western Hemisphere to perform in the Soviet Union, and the first American representative to dance with the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet Companies. She was also the first Latina woman to join the American Ballet Theater and went on to found the National Ballet of Cuba. According to the Author's Note included at the back of this book, “She did not hang up her ballet shoes until she was seventy-four.” [The New York Times claims she gave her final performance at age seventy-five. In either event, it was at quite a late age!] As of spring 2011, at age 90 and now virtually blind, she still choreographs for Cuba's National Ballet.

The book tells Alicia’s story in lyrical free verse.

"Five-year-old Alicia
wraps herself in tulles.
The hem of her blue-sky tunic
is a fluffy could.
Like light,
she’s barely aware
of the floor beneath her dancing feet."

And after she became almost blind:

"She counts steps, etches the stage in her mind.
Spotlights of different colors warn her
she is too near the orchestra pit.
She moves, a paintbrush on canvas…
She imagines an axis
and pirouettes across her own inner stage.”

The illustrator, Raul Colon, uses a style influenced by Mexian muralists. It’s perhaps not an intuitive choice for the illustration of a book on ballet, but Colon has won many awards for his work.

Also included in the book are the aforementioned Author’s Note, list of ballets Alonso performed, awards received, a Chronology, Glossary of terms, Sources, Website, and Notes.

Evaluation: Alicia Alonso’s story is so inspirational. I wish we had more exposure in schools and the media to all the extraordinary people from other cultures.

Rating: 3.5/5 ( )