Sweeping gestures: Alberto Alonso and the revolutionary musical in Cuba

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Abstract

This article examines Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso and his dance contributions to Cuban musical theatre from the 1940s through the early 1960s. The analysis integrates the histories of Alonso’s training, performance career and choreographic output with developments in Cuban musical theatre before and after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. In particular, it focuses on Alonso’s 1964 ballet ESolar (The Slum), which became a 1965 musical film Un día en el solar (A Day in the Slum) and live musical Mi Solar (My Slum). I argue that Alonso subtly questioned officialdom with his musical choreography that showed revolutionary movements springing not from the state but from Cuban citizens of different raciabackgrounds as they enacted the chores and delights of life. Moreover, Alonso’s work challenged cultural hierarchies, which held so-called high art forms like ballet above popular dance, by emphasizing the endless creativity of Cubans moving through their everyday.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)37-51
Number of pages15
JournalStudies in Musical Theatre
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Alberto Alonso
  • Cuba
  • El Solar
  • Mi Solar
  • Sonia Calero
  • Teatro Musical de la Habana
  • Un día en el solar

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts
  • Music
  • Literature and Literary Theory

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