Cuban school of ballet
The Cuban school of ballet grew around Alicia Alonso (1920–2019), the Havana-born ballerina who, with Fernando and Alberto Alonso, founded Ballet Alicia Alonso on 28 October 1948. After the 1959 revolution it became the state-supported Ballet Nacional de Cuba. A national ballet school followed in 1950, and the company was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2018.
Its founders drew on Russian, English and American training rather than copying one model, and observers describe a mix of Russian strength, quick Italian-style footwork and Caribbean warmth. Pupils train for about eight years, and since 1960 the Havana International Ballet Festival has brought companies from many countries to the city.