In the picture book biography Alicia Alonso Dances On, Cuban American author Rose Viña (Icebreaker) chronicles the life of the Cuban ballerina, who overcame incredible odds to achieve international renown. Mexican American artist Gloria Félix's lively illustrations heighten the story by highlighting Alonso's graceful, powerful form.
Alonso moved to New York City at 16, after spending her childhood learning to dance in tennis shoes. As she pursued a professional ballet career, her eyesight began to deteriorate and impede her performance. Despite multiple surgeries to repair her detached retinas and a year-long bedrest, Alonso became permanently partially blind. So Alonso learned to "dance through the darkness"--she earned the starring role in Giselle and eventually the rare title of prima ballerina assoluta.
In her thoughtful illustrations, Félix (Azaleah Lane series illustrator) draws parallels between Alonso's experiences as a child and as an adult. On one page, an eight-year-old Alonso grins when her crystal-clear reflection in the mirror "transforms into a ballerina" wearing a pink leotard and tutu. Later, a determined adult Alonso is shown wearing a pink leotard and squinting at her blurry image in the mirror as she stretches before practicing. In a stunning double-page spread, Félix depicts five different versions of Alonso dancing as an adult; though each image is in a different costume and stance, they work as one piece, making it look as if Alonso is leaping and twirling across the page. The illustrations' warm hues echo the story coming full circle: Alonso is shown teaching dance in Havana, smiling and looking beyond the book's borders, suggesting hope and progress. --Kieran Slattery, freelance reviewer, teacher, co-creator of Gender Inclusive Classrooms