Alicia Alonso, Star of Cuba’s National Ballet, Dies at 98

The Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso was especially associated with the title role of “Giselle,” the doomed peasant girl who falls in love with a count in disguise. She performed it at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1977.  Credit William Sauro/The New York Timeslicia Alonso, who overcame near-blindness to become a charismatic ballerina of unusual range and power, and who helped found what became, with Fidel Castro’s support, the National Ballet of Cuba, died on Thursday in Havana. She was 98.