This old dancer with Alzheimer’s disease was able to dance again when she heard Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. In the 1960s, Marta C. Gonzalez was a prima ballerina with the New York Ballet, which is one of the most famous dance groups in the world. But when she got Alzheimer’s and had to start using a wheelchair, the disease and getting old put an end to her dancing years. Manager of Musica para Despertar (Music to Wake Up To), Pepe Olmedo, gave Marta headphones to listen to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
This seems to have lit a fire inside her again.The way Marta looked and moved when she heard the first sounds of the music said it all. The woman switched back into ballerina mode as the sad tune of the piece played on, and she started moving her body to the beat. Marta instinctively did the smooth dance moves she had shown off on stage in 1967. The moves she had learned many years ago had been buried in the back of her mind for many years.
Somehow, hearing the music again was all it took for the long-hidden prima dancer to come out. The small crowd that was there for her performance gave her a round of praise. She stated that the song made her feel “emotional.” Staff at a care home in Valencia, where Marta stayed until she died in 2019, caught the scary moment on video. There were clips of Marta dancing the dance in the 1960s mixed in with the footage that was taken last year.
But at a time when art is seen as a way to relax, the Spanish charity Musica para Despertar shared the video of Marta dancing on their social media pages. They help people with Alzheimer’s improve their happiness and memory through music therapy. Over 2.6 million people from all over the world have watched the sad video so far. Arlene Phillips, a famous choreographer and stage director, is one of them.
“This has broken my heart so badly this morning.” Those with Alzheimer’s or a loved one who has it remember things and feel sad. Help @AlzResearchUK and @Alzheimerssoc. “How precious if music and dance can bring back memories or hold them,” she tweeted. The moving clip was so moving that even star Antonio Banderas couldn’t hold back his praise. He wrote in Spanish, “The emotional power of music!”
People who left comments on YouTube also talked about their own experiences with Alzheimer’s in a loved one. “This is so great! It makes my heart hurt and feel better at the same time. My grandma died because she had Alzheimer’s. It worked the same way when I played the piano and sang her favorite songs. You can’t forget about music. Antony Watts wrote, “I’m glad I’m a professional singer.””Really beautiful. My mom also had Alzheimer’s.
She wasn’t able to talk or do anything on her own. She never forgot how to sing her favorite songs, though. Music has so much power. She said, “God bless the nice people who are taking care of her.” Alzheimers.org also confirmed that music therapy could help people with Alzheimer’s disease deal with and lessen symptoms like anger, loneliness, sadness, and anxiety. For people who have trouble talking, it can also help. Marta is dancing to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in the movie below.