Loipa Araujo. Varna Gold Medal, 1965. Moscow International Competition Silver Medal, 1969.

Miss Loipa Araujo was born in Havana,1943. She studied at Escuela de la Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical and also with the Alonsos, L. Fokine, and Parés, joining National Ballet of Cuba in 1959 where she became prima ballerina in 1967. She frequently guested abroad and in 1973 joined Ballet de Marseille, where she created the lead role in Petit's Les Intermittences du cœur (1974).
Being one of the founders of the Cuban Ballet Company when she was only a young girl, together with her “sisters” -as she used to call them-: Mirta Pla, Josefina Mendez and Aurora Bosh; Miss Araujo is just a simple woman who made all that was possible and all the impossible to develop her talent. She has successfully performed the leading roles of the Classics from the 19th Century, as well as other modern dances created by Cuban and foreign choreographers, eventually becoming maitre of the London Royal Ballet Theatre, La Scala de Milan, the Opera de Paris, and the Danish Royal Ballet Company. Loipa worked as First Dancer, Prima Ballerina, of the Cuban Ballet Company between 1967 and 1997, and the year 2000 she returned to the stage, performing a modern ballet, on occasion of the 80th anniversary of her teacher, the Prima Ballerina Assolutta, Alicia Alonso. She has been invited to participate in many outstanding Ballet companies and international events, among which are the Ballet Celeste of San Francisco and the Greek Theater of Los Angeles ; the Ballet Teatro de la Opera and the Ballet de Sofia and Stara Zagora (from Bulgary), the Ballet de Marsella; the Ballet de la Opera de Odessa and Kiev and the Ballet Bolshoi of Moscow and the Maligot Theatre of Leningrad ; the Royal Danish Ballet (from Denmark); the Ballet del Teatro de Bellas Artes -the Fine Arts Theater Ballet Company- (from Mexico); the Nice Opera ; the Ballet Internacional de Caracas (from Venezuela); the International Ballet Festival of Lausanne ; the World Ballet Festival held in Japan; the Ballet Bejart of Lausanne; the International Dance and Music Festival of Palma de Mallorca ,Spain, the Edimburg Festival and the Arts Festival of Melbourne. She has also received many important awards inside and outside Cuba. Some of the most distinguishing international awards are: the Gold Medal at the International Ballet Contest in Varna , a Silver Medal at the International Ballet Contest in Moscow, the Gold Star Award at the International Dance Festival of Paris and the Medal granted by the Brazilian Dance Council. Her excellent artistic talent and work, as well as her ability to assume different roles, have given her the opportunity to share the stage with big stars, including a woman she loves as her second mother and to whom she feels indebted: Alicia Alonso, who, together with Fernando Alonso, trained her as dancer and a human being, a teaching that has always accompanied all along her career and that, today, she transmits to her students coming from different nations.

When i left Cuba in 2001 she was still dancing. Interesting to note is that she managed to create a very interesting character out of the role of Bathile in Giselle, which she perfected by adding her own personal touches. Her appearance in the role would be as expected as that of Giselle sometimes, and the audience loved it.

Here is Miss Araujo as Odile, from the Black Swan PDD at the Moscow International Ballet Competition, 1969, where she won the silver medal. Her partner is Azari Plisetsky-(her future husband and Maya Plisetskaya's brother)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soT5mbThgDE...feature=related

As Nikiya in "La Bayadere", Act III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_FcYlAY_0

As Mlle. Grahn in "Grand Pas de Quatre"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqx1aOR0luQ...feature=related

In the Prelude from "Chopiniana"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbU3t6w-8F0...feature=related

Thank you for posting this series, Cristian! It's been very enjoyable and now I look forward to the next one.

My pleasure, Barbara. . I'm glad you're enjoying them. Coming up next: Miss Aurora Bosh,

Thank you for this wonderful series & for this portrait of Ms. Araujo, Cristian! I had the honor of seeing Ms. Araujo in Flower Festival pdd with Fernando Jhones and as Grissi in Grand Pas de Quatre. She had one of the strongest techniques among the many soloists who visited San Juan, PR, during the magical tour of August 1978.

We can see Loipa Araujo as Albrecht's fiance, Bathilde, in the recently-released Giselle DVD starring Alonso/Vasiliev. From what you write, Cristian, it appears that she continued to perform such leading character roles until fairly recently. That is amazing.

I was told that she still does those fan-driven appearances in the role in Havana. He,he...these ladies certainly know how to work the audience. As per toeay Araujo, along with Miss Bosh, is one of the real forces who's in charge of the Cuban Company and School, due to Alonso's blindeness.