Dancer’s feat far from routine
Young Toronto ballerina garners 430,000 views after memorizing steps
Her thin, delicate arms arced gracefully above her head, 10-year-old Clara Bergs points her ballet-slippered toes then lowers herself to one knee, grinning.
She’s watching the end of a taped performance of the ballet Coppélia, and as the video audience applauds, Clara mimics the ballerinas’ elegant movements and bows to her own adoring fans: stuffed animals set up along the couch.
“She really loves an audience,” says Clara’s mom, Lisa Anderson.
Until last week, that audience was whoever was in Clara’s Toronto home. Now, the autistic girl who dances despite physical and developmental disabilities has hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide.
A YouTube video of Clara’s remarkable performance of Swanhilde’s masquerade, an intricate routine from Coppélia, has garnered over 430,000 views — more than 200,000 in a 48-hour period.
Clara’s celebrity began after her therapists noticed that her dancing, which she frequently does around the house, closely resembled the movements featured in her Coppélia DVD, a gift she received last year and has watched repeatedly.
Clara’s parents thought she was just practising moves she’d learned from ballet class. But when they recorded Clara dancing to Coppélia music — without the visual cues of the video — they realized she had memorized not only the masquerade routine but much of the ballet.
Clara’s therapist, Marielle Yap, posted the video last month.
“I wanted people to know Clara, because she has a talent that is truly incredible,” she said.
A feat for many 10-year-olds, Clara’s dancing ability is especially remarkable for one with a combination of autism and DiGeorge syndrome — a genetic disorder that can affect learning and cause facial deformity.
The conditions inhibit her movement, speech and comprehension. She spent her first 16 months in hospital, didn’t walk until she was 4 and couldn’t form words until she was 6. She still uses a gastrointestinal tube that delivers food directly to her stomach. Anderson says that because Clara’s verbal expression is limited, it’s difficult to measure her intelligence. “It’s really hard to know what level she’s functioning at,” she said. “Her intellect is there; it’s just really hard to pull out.” But Clara has always had a “phenomenal” memory, said Anderson — something that doesn’t surprise Dr. David Hampson, a University of Toronto medical professor and autism expert. “Some autistic people, particularly the autistic savants, have incredible memories,” he said. Clara’s talent also speaks to her musicality. Watch her move and react to the ballet’s orchestra and her connection to music is so evident as to seem innate. That, too, is not surprising, given her background. Her father, Roger Bergs, is a University of Toronto music professor who teaches composition, while Anderson is a skilled pianist. “It is a gift she’s been given, despite all her other challenges,” said Anderson. Clara’s video and website have prompted comments from people around the world, saying she has inspired them. The family has set up a PayPal account, hoping that inspiration could also help pay for Clara’s treatment; their preferred method, called Intensive MultiTreatment Intervention, is not covered by the province. While the family receives help to cover other costs, they’re struggling to pay the $70,000-per-year cost of her treatment, which includes physiotherapy and speech therapy. Laurie Mawlam, executive director of Autism Canada, says because provinces only fund certain treatments, many parents struggle to choose programs for their child. “If you have lots of money, you can get exactly what’s best for your child. If you don’t, then you either have to take what the province provides you, if they provide anything, or else you’re stuck,” Mawlam said. Since Clara’s video went viral, the family has received a small amount, enough to cover October’s costs.