Alicia Parla

Alicia Parla (1914 – October 6, 1998) was a Cuban rhumba dancer and hospital administrator who was called "the Queen of Rumba" by the press. Born into a strict middle-class Cuban family, she and her family moved to Miami when Cuba became politically turbulent in the 1920s. Parla began dancing with Don Justo Angel Azpiazú in 1930 and toured the United States and Europe during the first half of the decade. She taught rhumba to Edward, Prince of Wales at his Monte Carlo villa in 1932 before her European tour ended in 1933. Parla returned to Cuba as per her father's instruction in 1934 and went into a domesticated life. She briefly came back into public view in two films and the occasional nostalgic show.