A Tribute to Martha Mahr

To a distinguished ballerina and instructor in the ballet world

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Martha Mahr (1927-2009)

Aly Tejas dedicates an album to Miss Mahr

Martha Mahr, principal ballerina, instructor at the Cuban National Ballet of Alicia Alonso, and founder of the renown Martha Mahr School of Ballet in Miami, Florida has passed away. Martha's career spanned almost sixty years, and in that time her dedication to the art form and her commitment to her students set her apart from many other professionals in the ballet world. Aly had the fortune to work with her for several years and herein gives a personal commentary.

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A message from Aly...

Meeting Martha Mahr was an unforgettable experience for me. I strongly believe that God always puts the right people in your path but only at the right time. I remember I had just arrived in Miami and did not know anyone here besides my family, when one morning I pulled out the yellow pages and looked up ballet academies so I could offer my services as an accompanist. The first school I called was that of Martha Mahr, who I knew of because of her distinguished trajectory with Alicia Alonso in Cuba. I left my telephone with them and after four months I heard back. Martha needed a pianist, and I was super happy and super anxious to interview with her the next day.

Martha Mahr was an amazing woman, very professional, and her self-discipline was enough to make anyone self conscious. Her attitude towards work and her words proved to me that I had arrived at the right place with the right person. She spoke so passionately about her school, about classical ballet, and about her years of experience. She believed in people; for Martha the words “I cannot” did not exist. I remember she always used to say that as long as we were alive nothing was impossible.

Six and a half years have passed since that first meeting and I have never stopped working for her and the school. While other academies were replacing accompanists with CDs, Martha would not hear of it. She understood the importance of the accompanist for the dancers and never chose to save herself the expense. By the same token she expected the same kind of commitment from me, there was never a good reason to fail the dancers. We needed each other, and that was my conviction as well.

Knowing Martha Mahr has been a wonderful experience and I thank God for putting her in my path. On the day of her mass I cried a lot because of her passing, but I also thanked her for the incredible opportunity I had to work with such a distinguished person all these years. I thank her because although she is not here, I know she is with us somehow and I know she is at peace.

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