Former Ballerina with Alzheimer’s Recreates Her Swan Lake Choreography

As a ballerina in NYC during the 60s, Marta C. González undoubtably performed Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake hundreds or even thousands of times. González passed away recently — perhaps from complications due to her Alzheimer’s, which can affect a person’s memory and movements in profound ways — but she had one last chance to revisit her ballet days before she died. In the video above, you can see how, as she starts to listen to Swan Lake in a pair of headphones, she reanimates and begins performing the dance choreography in her wheelchair. Clips from what I’m assuming is her past Swan Lake performance are interspersed throughout the video. What a lovely moment.

• Alzheimer’s disease
• ballet
• dance
• Marta C. Gonzalez
• music
• video

Music Awakens Closed Minds

Alive Inside is a documentary that follows social worker Dan Cohen as he discovers that music can “awaken” people suffering from degenerative memory loss (Alzheimer’s, etc.). Here’s a clip in which a man goes from a near-coma state to talking about his favorite songs after listening to music for awhile on headphones.

(via ★swissmiss)

• Alive Inside
• Alzheimer’s disease
• medicine
• movies
• music
• video

An artist diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, William Utermohlen

An artist diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, William Utermohlen dealt with his illness by painting self portraits. (thx, ajit)

• Alzheimer’s disease
• art