Alicia Alonso Read by Yuan Yuan Tan

Rebel Girls

Stories For Kids, Education For Kids, Kids & Family

4.5 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2020

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Once upon a time, there was a Cuban ballerina who was blind. Her name was Alicia. As a little girl, Alicia was a naturally talented dancer. She spent her days filled with hours and hours of practice. She became one of the best dancers in the world. Then when she was 19, a medical condition caused her to lose her ability to see but that did not stop Alicia. She continued to dance and choreograph. She even started her own dance company which became the National Dance Company of Cuba. About the Narrator: Yuan Yuan Tan is a Principal dancer with the famous San Francisco Ballet, celebrating her record-breaking 25th anniversary in this 2020 season. Born in Shanghai, Yuan Yuan began dancing when she was 11 years old and went on to become the youngest principal dancer in the history of the San Francisco Ballet. She also continues to perform several times a year in China where she also frequently participates in teaching workshops, competitions, and other community programs to nurture new generations of dancers. This podcast is based on the book series also titled Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Our Executive Producers are Elena Favilli and Joy Fowlkes. This season was produced by John Marshall Cheary, Sarah Storm, and Robin Lai. This episode was written by Elizabeth Eulberg and edited by Pam Gruber. Maithy Vu proofread. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi who has also sound designed this episode. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome back Rebels! On this season of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, the podcast,
0:10.6	you will cook alongside television personality Julia Child. Visit the South Side of Chicago
0:16.8	with Michelle Obama. Explore the jungles of Tanzania with primatologist Jane Goodall and
0:22.7	go on many more adventures. Today we are honoring Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, a world-renowned
0:30.8	prima ballerina dancer and choreographer. If you enjoy this episode, dive deeper with the new Rebel
0:37.3	Girls Illustrated Chapter book, Alicia Alonso takes the stage. It's available for purchase on our
0:44.2	website, www.rebelsgirls.com or wherever you normally download your audiobooks and e-books.
0:52.1	Stick with us until the end of the episode for promotional code to get 15% off your purchase
0:57.7	through our website. And now on to the show!
1:06.6	Once up on the town, a Cuban ballerina was determined to dance through the darkness. Her name was
1:15.0	Alicia. One fateful night, Alicia took to the stage at the famed Metropolitan Opera House
1:26.1	in New York City. A prima ballerina had been injured. Alicia was a last minute replacement.
1:35.9	She had never danced a lead role before or for a crowd to speak. This was her moment.
1:46.0	The spot shown down on Alicia as she started to dance. Her mouth was trembling with fear,
1:54.6	but her legs were ecstatic with joy. The difficult and demanding role required precise
2:02.0	footwork and long holds on point, where Alicia had to balance on the very tip of her toes.
2:11.1	Jizelle had been performed by many famous ballerinas, but Alicia made it her own.
2:20.9	She gracefully stretched her armesque into a split. Her light blue toe skirt made a perfect half
2:30.8	circle as she leaned to fold her body over evenly. She hopped on point and remained balanced
2:40.9	for so long. It was as if she defied gravity. The audience was mesmerized by the fearless ballerina
2:52.4	who displayed so much beauty and emotion as she danced.
3:04.3	But Alicia was hiding a secret as she brought down the house with her brave performance.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rebel Girls, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rebel Girls and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.