Autistic girl with DiGeorge Syndrome memorized Coppelia Ballet!!!!!!

It takes more than a village to raise a special needs child. For more information on Clara Bergs and opportunities to provide support, see:

http://clarabergs.tumblr.com

Or donate directly to:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...

We knew Clara loved the Coppelia ballet, but little did we know she memorized the whole thing! She performed this solely from memory!

This is just a small snippet of her dancing to it. We would see her doing some ballet moves around the house thinking it was ballet moves she learnt in ballet class, till one day someone decided to whip out a computer and compare her moves to that of the Coppelia ballerina, and, VOILA, we realized she memorized it, and can dance it!

Clara has been diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome and Autism. She spent her first 16 months in hospital, has gone through multiple surgeries since she was two weeks due to the complications with her syndrome. Before she was two, we noticed that she had difficulty connecting with people, was in a world of her own, and two years later she was also diagnosed with autism. Clara also had a lot of physical complications, and could not walk till she was four. She never spoke until she was six.

Doctors told us when she was born to forget about her - we could just have another baby...but we couldn't give up. Never underestimate your child's potential!

Clara thrived in the Intensive Multi Treatment Intervention program (see http://www.jalderson.com), based in Toronto, and has blossomed into a lively dancing queen who always loves an audience!!!

Join Clara's facebook group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Clara...

Read about Clara in the book, "Challenging the Myths of Autism" (pg 199) by Jonathan Alderson, http://www.JAlderson.com and you can get a copy at http://promo.challengethemyths.com/

Sincere thanks to the Australian Ballet Company who have allowed us to use this segment in Clara's video, specifically:

Coppélia
THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

Featuring
Lisa Pavane - Swanilda
Colin Peasley - Dr Coppelius
Production devised and directed by George Ogilvie
Original Choreography Arthur Saint-Léon
Revised by Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti
Additional Choreography Peggy van Praagh
Music Léo Delibes
Costume and set design Kristian Fredrikson
Lighting William Akers
Conductor Noel Smith
Orchestra the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra

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  People & Blogs

[Breanne Ilchyna]

Beautifully done.. although I found the donation part halfway was a bit tacky

[rikkiana]

This brought me tears of happiness! She's adorable! :)

[Haphazard Kat]

What a beautiful, happy child. Well done, parents. Well done.

[celticfirebird]

what a beautiful little girl, as a parent of a child with Aspergers myself its wonderful to see her enjoying herself, people who do not understand Autism/aspergers or Digeorge syndrome will never comprehend the day to day challenges a child goes through just to live. Her performance is wonderful, just because its her. Those of you how denigrate her performance dont see beyond your own ignorant attitude, tell me what talents you have, what makes you so special hmmm?

[Matthew Muters]

read the description and you will see her mother saying that Clara has been diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome and Autism. As someone who has been part of a family that has adopted 13 special needs foster children and had more than 75 come through my parents home believe me when I say many "special needs" kids are diagnosed with multiple disorders.

[Carol DeMuth]

Do any of you people know what autism is? For a child who cannot make connections or communicate in a normal way, this child has made a connection and is communicating through dance. Applaud her accomplishment, don't denigrate her performance.

[ThePorkupine73]

I smiled while I was laughing *AT* the video--but I wasn't laughing at the girl, I was laughing at the people who get all emotional and cooing at a normal girl doing normal girl stuff, and calling it amazing. It's nice. But it's not amazing.

[ThePorkupine73]

Thank you for being honest.

[ThePorkupine73]

Uh...no she doesn't. 

[ThePorkupine73]

Really?