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Video Of Former NYC Ballerina With Dementia Recalling Her 'Swan Lake' Choreography Goes Viral
A moving video of a former ballerina with dementia remembering the choreography she danced to decades ago has gone viral after being shared by a charity.
The clip shows Marta C. Gonzalez, who died in 2019, listening to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
Gonzalez had been a prima ballerina with the New York Ballet in the 1960s.
The emotional moment was shared by the Asociación Música para Despertar, a Spanish charity which uses the music of dementia patients' lives to improve their mood and memory, among other things.
In the video Gonzalez listens to the music through a pair of headphones and soon begins to replicate the choreography she danced to all those years ago.
Actor Antonio Banderas shared the clip on Facebook, writing that he hoped the video would serve as “a well-deserved recognition of her art and her passion."
After finishing her performance, she is met with applause by those present at the care home in Valencia.
She is then comforted as she tells a care worker she is "emotional."
The inspiring video quickly went viral on Twitter.
NYC Prima Ballerina with Alzheimer’s listens to Swan Lake and it all comes back ✨ The most beautiful video you’ll s… https://t.co/vBb5byOgzA— Felipe Tristan (@Felipe Tristan)1604873647.0
Several people shared their own experiences with Alzheimer's and dementia.
@felipetristan @nycballet This is beautiful. My dad is now non-verbal due to Alzheimer’s but the last time I was ab… https://t.co/XwN4S8BcJ6— seth darby 🌈 (@seth darby 🌈)1604905509.0
@felipetristan @nycballet Thank you. I sobbed uncontrollably. Having dealt with a family member living with dementi… https://t.co/QFdt9YGGS3— Deborah Lee Soltesz (@Deborah Lee Soltesz)1604945316.0
@felipetristan @nycballet I’m crying - so beautiful 😍. This disease robs the sufferer of who they are. These moment… https://t.co/GoZMr4leDf— Maggie Davis (@Maggie Davis)1604911317.0
We're all emotional, to be honest.
@felipetristan @nycballet I've been watching this over and over since yesterday and I cry each time. It's so beauti… https://t.co/O5VFAEMJTg— HeidiO (@HeidiO)1604939072.0
“The power of music is immeasurable," the charity said. “May she rest in peace."