CubaPLUS Magazine

Located on the well-known Paseo del Prado avenue, the Gran Teatro de La Habana “Alicia Alonso” stands as an undisputed bastion of the country’s arts—not only because it is one of the oldest and most emblematic theaters in Latin America, but also because its history is closely tied to the cultural evolution of the capital and to the development of the national ballet.

For that reason, many visitors to Cuba are eager to see this historic venue, which is more than a century old and can be toured with a specialized guide from Tuesday through Sunday.

In that context, this journalist recently had the opportunity to tour the theatre and learn its beautiful and compelling history firsthand from Michel Toro, one of the guides.

Crossing the threshold feels like a journey into the past. “Inaugurated on December 12, 1915 as the Centro Gallego de La Habana,” the guide began, “the entrance bears the Galician coat of arms with the Golden Chalice of the Holy Grail at its center—the cup with which Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper—along with the seven crosses that surround it, which represent the seven dioceses or bishoprics that comprised the region: Santiago, La Coruña, Betanzos, Lugo, Mondoñedo, Ourense and Tuy.”

Further on, at the foot of the staircase that leads to several halls, stands the statue of Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, the work of the great Cuban sculptor José Villa Soberón, who also created the sculptures of the Caballero de París, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Ernest Hemingway (located in the Floridita restaurant), the great Spanish dancer Antonio Gades (in the Plaza de la Catedral), and John Lennon in the park that bears his name in the capital.

The statue of Alicia Alonso—after whom the venue has been named Gran Teatro de La Habana “Alicia Alonso” since 2015—depicts her as she appeared in her final performance of Giselle in 1993, and she had the chance to see it, as it was installed on January 1, 2018, a year before her passing.