With the moderator permission, even knowing that several months have passed since her death, and as i just found this site a little while ago, i just wanted to post this note. Josefina Mendez died in Havana 26 January 2007. Josefina Méndez was prima ballerina of the Cuban National Ballet for almost 35 years and, after retiring from the stage in 1996, remained as its ballet mistress, teaching such young dancers as Carlos Acosta who has since been invited as a principal guest artist at the Royal Ballet. In recent years, she largely ran the company after her mentor, the ballet's founder and still director Alicia Alonso, became increasingly blind. Méndez, like Alonso before her, was praised by critics for her blend of classical technique, dramatic depth, freedom of expression and Latin passion, notably in the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC)'s signature two-act Giselle, which she performed in productions worldwide, including as guest artist at the Paris Opéra. On first seeing her perform in the mid-1960s, the dance critic Arnold Haskell described her as "the queen of tragedy" and dubbed her and her three contemporary prima ballerinas at the BNC as "the four jewels of Cuban ballet", a tag they retained ever after.

Thank you, cubanmiamiboy. Many of us remember Mme Mendez as the forbidding Myrta to Alsonso's Giselle when the company visited New York in the late 1970s.

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/famous_baller...es_in_cuba.html

Thanks for acknowledging Mme. Mendez work.

I met Josefina Mendez when I was a little girl in San Francisco. She and five female dancers came to guest with the school and company of my youth, Ballet Celeste. Our director, Merriem Lanova, had a relationship and connection with Alicia Alonso. Two of the other "Jewels" also guested with us, Loipa Araujo and Aurora Bosh (I remember Aurora was the youngest!) These six lovely young Cuban dancers performed the "Six Princesses", Miss Lanova's version of the Swan Lake Act 3 variations. I was one of the pages of the Princesses. It was a really BIG DEAL that these dancers appeared with our company! I am very sorry to hear of her passing...

Thank you, Gina for your beautiful recounting...We'll always remember our lovely "Yuyi" fondly...
This is old news, but i wanted to post it anyways...

Havana, Jul 3 (acn) The Legion of Honor Order, which is the highest
decoration granted by the French government to personalities in the
world of Arts and Culture, was granted post-mortem to Cuban ballerina
Josefina Mendez (1941-2007).

French ambassador to Cuba, Marie France Pagnier gave the award to
Victor Gili, the son of departed Josefina Mendez. Gili is a first
dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba, as his mother was.

Josefina Mendez, who died of cancer early this year, has been dubbed
one of the "Four Jewels" of the Cuban classic dance along with Loipa
Araujo, Aurora Bosch and Mirta Pla.

Videos of the most outstanding moments of Mendez' career were screened
during the awarding ceremony such as her performance of "Giselle" along
Etoil Cyril Atanassoff, at the Opera of Paris in 1972.

Known for her classicism, superb technique, and dramatic flair, Mendez
won bronze and silver awards at the Varna International Ballet
Competition, as well as honors in France, Italy, and Brazil.

In addition to her performing career, she founded Cuba's National
School of Arts, where she developed the Cuban technique and coached
most of todayÂs great local dancers.

France's Legion of Honor Order was created by Napoleon Bonaparte back
in the 19th century. It is usually awarded to French personalities;
however, a few personalities of other nationalities have been honored
as well. In Cuba, Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, filmmaker
Alfredo Guevara, writer Miguel Barnet, and doctor Rodrigo Alvarez
Cambra have been awarded the Order.

http://www.mujer.notiemail.com/arte/articu...mp;Idsubctg=200

Thank you, cubanmiamiboy for posting this. I just remember how lovely she was...and I was only ten years old! I just realized in reading this that Mirta also danced with us in San Francisco. All four "Jewels"...We were so fortunate to see them when they were so young and just beginning their careers.