POPSUGAR UK

Watch This Former Ballerina With Alzheimer's Reenact Her Swan Lake Solo, and Prepare to Tear Up

In this video of Spanish dancer Marta C. González, a former prima ballerina, listens to the music from Swan Lake and instantly remembers and performs the choreography while sitting in her wheelchair. The clip was actually filmed last year by Música para Despertar [1] (Music to Wake Up To), an advocacy group for music therapy, but was recently shared on their social media accounts.

The music has transported González back to the stage as she gracefully moves her arms and head. And while the video includes clips of a young ballerina dancing, it is actually not González, but rather former prima ballerina from Russia's Mariinsky Ballet, Uliana Lopatkina, according to prominent dance critic Alastair Macaulay, who has been trying to track down González's history [2].

González died in 2019, according to National Public Radio (NPR) in the US. In this video, we get to witness the emotional effect music and dance can have on the body and mind, despite the effects Alzheimer's can have on memory. We can feel the immense joy and emotion in her heart.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/ballerina-alzheimers-dancing-swan-lake-video-47957788