Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso, who developed a new Latin-influenced style and taught well into her 90s despite being practically blind for most of her dancing career, died on Thursday. She was 98. Known for her strong character and strict discipline, and revered in Cuba as one of its most important personalities, Alonso impressed audiences with her dramatic leaps and sensual style.

Even at 40, she was still able to perform the 32 fouettes of "Swan Lake." She was the only Latin-American ever to have been recognized as a "prima ballerina assoluta" - a rare honor awarded to the most exceptional female ballerinas of their generation "Alicia Alonso is gone and leaves a huge void, but also an insurmountable legacy," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Twitter.

"She placed Cuba on the altar of the world's best dancing. Thank you Alicia for your immortal work." The National Ballet of Cuba, a company she founded, confirmed her death.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019