The Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana

Since 1960 it has been the scene of the International Ballet Festivals of Havana and since 2016 it changed its name to that of Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana.

The old Tacón theater

The old Tacón theater was located on the block located at the intersections of the current streets San Rafael, San José, Consulado and Paseo del Prado. It was named in honor of Captain General Miguel de Tacón y Rosique, Governor of Cuba between the years 1834 and 1838.

It was built by the architect Antonio Mayo in an eclectic style, with 90 boxes, more than 20 rows and the capacity to receive approximately 2,000 spectators. It was a common visit site for the Creole aristocracy. In its time it was the largest and most luxurious theater in all of America and third in the world after the Scala in Milan and the Vienna Opera.

Although a carnival dance was still not finished there, it was April 15, 1838 when it was officially inaugurated with the staging of the play “Don Juan de Austria”, starring Francisco Covarrubias, creator of the national vernacular theater and initiator of customs in Cuban literature.

Grand Theater of Havana

The building as can be seen today was inaugurated in 1914 and is the work of the Belgian architect Paul Beleu. The land was acquired along with other surroundings by the Galician Center to build its Social Palace in 1906.

This time he assimilated the neo-baroque style, taking as a model the constructions of the European baroque. On its main facade it has four white marble sculptural groups representing allegories of Charity, Education, Music and Theater, works by Giuseppe Moretti.

Everything was placed in a balanced way, both the balconies, windows, cornices and the proportion of its towers and the unity of the moldings, all achieve an elegant rhythm.

The theater was rebuilt inside the building and since 1965 has been the permanent headquarters of the National Ballet of Cuba. It was in 1985, on the initiative of Alicia Alonso, that the entire building was renamed Grand Theater of Havana, the name “García Lorca” was reserved for its main hall.

Since 1960, the Grand Theater of Havanahas hosted the Havana International Ballet Festival where dancers from all over the world participate.

Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana

In September 2015, the Council of State agreed in recognition of Alicia Alonso’s contributions to Cuban and universal culture, to name the current Grand Theater of Havana as Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana.

By that date, its complete restoration was completed, from facades, lobbies, boxes, roofs to the tablet. They were given other comforts such as new furniture, curtains, air conditioning system, acoustics, stage mechanics, rehearsal rooms for the dancers and the orchestra, a recording studio and more than 20 dressing rooms and bathrooms, many premises that existed before they had nothing to do with the culture system they were withdrawn.

A dancer in full function is the recreation of Villa Soberón, which reflects the liveliness and majesty of the turns and the spirit in the scene of Alicia Alonso.

The main salt and others

The main room is the largest in Cuba. Its name is García Lorca and it has a capacity for 1,500 people. It also has other smaller rooms such as the Sala Lecuona, and the Café Adagio, where chamber music concerts are offered.

The Great Theater of Havana, a space for the visual arts

The lobby itself is considered another cultural space. There is the bronze sculpture of prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso, a work of José Villa Soberón, 2008 National Prize for Plastic Arts, who thus eternalized the image of the diva of classical dance in Cuba.

It also hosts exhibitions of important plastic artists in Cuba. The Monographic Zoom Room, on the other hand, exposes through acrylic panels the history of the theater since its foundation and the visit of distinguished personalities from the arts.

Grand theater activities

Currently, Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana welcomes such options, but the most outstanding, without a doubt, are those of the National Ballet of Cuba.

It is the official headquarters of the Havana International Ballet Festival, where dancers from the Royal Ballet of London, the Scala of Milan, the New York City Ballet and the Ballet of the Teatro Colón, from Argentina, among other great companies, perform.

The seasons of the Centro Pro-Arte Lírico can also be enjoyed in its facilities with programs that include operas, operettas and concerts, as well as the Spanish Ballet of Cuba and the Dance Promotion Center (PRODANZA).

What are the official prices of the theater for the foreign public?

For foreign visitors the single price is 30 CUC.

While passing through Havana you can visit it and admire its beauty or enjoy some of the functions that are presented there. It is the Alicia Alonso GrandTheater of Cuba, an institution that preserves culture on the largest island in the Caribbean.