Happy about Seville and London Tributes

The director of the National Ballet of Cuba, Alicia Alonso returned to Cuba with the lingering taste of tributes she received in Spain and the United Kingdom for her 90th birthday.

In a brief conference after arriving at Jose Marti International Airport, she gratefully recalled the tributes paid to her in the Maestranza in Seville and in London's Covent Garden, where the Royal Ballet offered a gala to celebrate her birthday, history and contributions to dance.

From the royal box of the theater, she presided over the function and heard the praises of the company's director Monica Mason, crowned by a standing ovation in her honour, repeated at the end when she came out to greet the stage.

Ready for the international ballet festival to be held in Havana from October 28 to November 7, she spoke with enthusiasm about the 12 choreographies that will premiere, particularly three of her own: Impromptu, devoted to Ernesto Lecuona, Narciso's Death, a tribute to José Lezama Lima on his centenary, and The Night of the Eclipse.