4-tiered lace appliquéd chiffon skirt w/fitted bodice and back button detail

100% Silk 4-Ply Crepe Bodice, 100% Silk Chiffon Skirt

Her Story:  Alicia Alonso is a Cuban prima ballerina and choreographer. Born in Havana in the 20s, her mom instilled an affinity for music and dance into her by putting her in dance at a young age. As a teen, she was diagnosed with a detached retina causing her to become partially blind. Soon after her diagnosis she met her husband, a fellow dancer, Fernando. The newlyweds moved to New York City to perfect their craft, and she also received dance therapy there for her depleting eye sight. Her husband worked with her and taught her how to use the lights on the stage and her partner to connect her body to the stage despite her vision. Through the 1940s and 1950s she traveled the world dancing all throughout Western Europe, the US, and becoming the first western dancer to perform in the Soviet Union. When the revolution of 1959 happened, Fidel Castro gifted her with $200,000 to form a dance school in Cuba and guaranteed annual financial support. She took the offer and started the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Due to Alonso's affiliation with the new Cuban regime, she was banned from performing in the US. However, in 1975, at 54-years-old, Castro permitted Alonso to perform in New York City, the place where she had learned her craft decades before. This gown personifies the real Alicia with its layers of chiffon, patches of lace, and true ballerina feel.