Marta C. González was a popular ballerina back in the 1960s. She reportedly danced with the New York Ballet and performed numbers such as Swan Lake — one of the most popular ballet performances of our time.
Unfortunately, Marta died due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is one of the most devastating diseases for many reasons. For one, it gets progressively worse as time goes on. It also causes loved ones to change. Simple memory loss becomes more drastic as time goes on. Those who have it often can't finish conversations or remember details about their life.
"Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States," writes the Alzheimer's Association. "On average, a person with Alzheimer's lives four to eight years after diagnosis, but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors."
While Marta's diagnosis was grim and her fate was unfortunate, a video is now going viral that proves how powerful music really is. Originally shared by the Asociación Música para Despertar, the video depicts Marta's memory recall while listening to the music of Swan Lake. Despite her condition, she was able to mimic many of her moves from the '60s. The video itself is very touching. It's also a wonderful way to view how our brains operate. Even by looking at her facial expression, you can tell she's transported back to the stage.
In the video, you can see how quickly Marta reacts to the music. Despite dancing so long ago, and going through health struggles since, something about the melody has stuck with her. Soon, you can see her lift her arms in the proper movements of the dance. It's a beautiful video, especially for those who've had to serve as a caretaker for a loved one with Alzheimer's.
The music is reportedly part of Marta's procedural memory. That's the part of memory that helps control your motor skills. Remembering how to walk and talk are all part of the procedural memory. By hearing the music, that was a cue for Marta's memory to do the movements the way she had danced so many times before.
According to Live Science, musicians and athletes (and ballerinas, too) often succeed at their work due to their procedural memories. That means their bodies are better trained to move in different ways based on the environment around them. Marta's body knew how to move when hearing different parts of "Swan Theme" by Tchaikovsky.
It's yet another reason to be amazed by the human body. It's much more complex than you may think. And as far as Alzheimer's disease goes, scientists are still on the lookout for ways to prevent it. Right now, they've found ways to make patients feel more comfortable and help slow progress, but it'd be wonderful to find a way to get rid of it for good.
And that's why Marta's video is even more fascinating. It's proof that recollection can be possible with the right tools. And it's moving to watch since it proves that part of her life is still in her mind; it can just be difficult to find ways for it to come out.
Pepe Olmedo — psychologist, musician, and director of Música para Despertar — was the one helping Marta in the video. He spoke to HuffPost UK about the experience with her, making note that what happened in the video was one of "the most impressive moments that I have been able to live in all my life."
"[I was] absolutely excited to be able to see her response, and to be able to accompany and facilitate this moment so that she could fully enjoy it," he said. "We want to show another more positive side of dementia, and of the possibilities we have to improve their condition thanks to music, emotions, and an appropriate attitude on the part of caregivers."
Marta isn't the only case. On Twitter, Nick Harvey showcased a video of his father, Paul Harvey. Paul was living with dementia, but he was still able to compose a song on the piano after Nick started it for him with four notes. The song ended up being quite good.
The video shot Nick into the spotlight. People couldn't believe that just a few notes could lead to something so beautiful. And for Nick, it may have been more of a sense of normalcy. It's hard for kids to see their parents succumb to dementia, since so many parts of them become unrecognizable.
For caretakers, any moment like that can bring hope. Since Alzheimer's progressively gets worse, witnessing a moment like that one — or seeing Marta's video — really is like opening a time capsule of who dementia patients were before their diagnosis. Marta didn't have a stage, yet she still danced beautifully. And Paul proved he was a natural with composing music.
Marta's video was so big that it was even shared on Twitter by actor Antonio Banderas, who captioned the clip with, "The emotional power of music!" Knowing her best, Pepe helped fill people in as to what her life was like before the diagnosis. According to Pepe, in an interview with 11Alive, Marta was originally from Valencia, Spain.
She then moved to Cuba, and that's what helped spark her love of dance. Neurologists at the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center very strongly believe that music has the power to unleash some of our most powerful memories. This is true for all of us, not just composers and dancers.
While composers and dancers may be constantly surrounded by music as part of their craft, there's a reason so many of us feel nostalgic for certain songs. Aside from the music and lyrics, songs can often take us back to a place we were decades ago. Songs can also help illustrate time.
If you happen to know someone with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, playing them some calm and beautiful music may be a great way for them to open up. No matter what, spending time with them will be rewarding. While memory issues may be frustrating, they're still a person who lived such an incredible life that they likely would have wished they could share with you.
