America Chavez: She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll punch you in the face.
Woman Crush - Gina Rodriguez
“An artist doesn’t do brain surgery, but if I can liberate one girl from feeling bad about herself, from looking in the mirror and saying, ‘I don’t belong because I’m not this, this, and this’, then I’m done. I’ve done what I came on this earth to do.”
APRIL 6 - ALICIA ALONSO
Cuban ballet dancer, choreographer and founder of the Cuban National Ballet, Alicia Alonso riveted audiences as the leading lady in several classical and Romantic ballets, particularly known for her portrayals of Giselle and Carmen.
This is all the more notable considering that Alonso was diagnosed with a detached retina at the age of 20. Although she underwent three surgical procedures to repair the problem, it was concluded that she would never have peripheral vision and would suffer from partial blindness in one eye.
After her final surgery, she was ordered to lie in bed motionless for an entire year. Her husband, Fernando Alonso, would sit with her on a daily basis, and they’d use their fingers to learn each movement for the great dancing roles in classical ballet. She later recalled that it was there - “blinded, motionless, flat on her back” - that she taught herself the role of Giselle.
Without her peripheral vision, Alonso had to train her dancing partners to be exactly where she needed them, when she needed them. She worked with set designers to install different-colored spotlights to guide her movement, overcoming her handicap to receive rave reviews.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, winner of Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Motion Picture, for ‘Birdman’ poses in the press room during the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California.