Cuban dance legend Laura Alonso returns to Cleveland for the week of August 23, 2021 to reunite with Verb Ballets’ dancers. The daughter of world-famous ballerina Alicia Alonso, Laura is an award-winning teacher and coach. Ms. Alonso performed for 25 years with Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and now travels the world teaching and staging the classics. She is also the director of ProDanza in Havana, Cuba, which is part of the Cleveland Havana Ballet Project, an international partnership with Verb Ballets.
The Cleveland Havana Ballet Project is made possible through past support of the Cleveland Foundation. This unique collaboration was highlighted by Pointe Magazine. Verb Ballets is honored to work on this project with Alonso bringing the best of Cuban dance and American repertory to new audiences.
Laura Alonso
Laura Alonso, daughter of world-famous ballerina Alicia Alonso and renowned teacher and coach Fernando Alonso, is herself known as a teacher, coach and an expert at staging the well-known classics. For seven years, she served as the personal coach and teacher for international prima ballerina assoluta, Alicia Alonso. Dance Theatre of Harlem artistic director, former prima ballerina and former editor of Pointe magazine, Virginia Johnson, calls her an, “international master teacher extraordinaire.”
Ms. Alonso’s 25 year performing career with Ballet National de Cuba included soloist work in all of the traditional classics. Today she travels around the world teaching and staging the classics for pre-professional as well as professional companies such as London’s Royal Ballet School and The Royal Danish Ballet.
Although born in the United States, Alonso is a resident of Havana where she has an international dance school, Centro ProDanza, which welcomes 1,500 students, and a professional performing company, ProDanza.
A teacher of world-class experience, Ms. Alonso has taught for professional ballet companies all over the world including Cuban National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Tokyo Ballet, the Toronto Ballet, the Alberta Ballet. She was a member of the faculty at the Regional Dance America’s National Festival in 1997 as well as at the RDA/NE Festival 1998 and the RDA/SE 1999. For seven years, she served as the personal coach for international ballerina Alicia Alonso.
Ms. Alonso was honored with an award as the best coach at the Jackson International Ballet Competition in 1990. Her student, Jose Manuel Carreno, won the Grand Prix de Ville, the highest award possible. Ms. Alonso has served as coach, jury member and teacher at the Jackson IBC and as jury member of the Concours International de Dance de Paris, France, the Alicia Alonso International Ballet Competition and other competitions around the world.
Along with her expertise in working with professionals and aspiring professionals, Ms. Alonso is extremely gifted at working with young dancers of all ages and experiences. She is willing to instruct anyone who wants to learn and has transformed students in just a few classes. Alonso’s mission is to bring the highest quality dance to students everywhere.
