Dancing on Memories

"A beautiful story filled with empathy for those grappling with memory loss." —Kirkus Reviews

A young girl is able to evoke smiles and memories when she plays the music of Swan Lake for her grandmother, a former ballerina who now suffers from Alzheimer's.

Once Nana pirouetted like moonlight shimmering on a lake.

But now the Memory Thief has come. Nana sits still like a whisper.

Sarah and her Nana used to spend their days baking challah together for Shabbat and dancing like the flames of Hanukkah candles. But now Nana is sick; she mostly talks about the past, has trouble remembering the right words, and hardly smiles.

Sarah wants to help her Nana. She listens to the stories and helps when Nana forgets words. But there must be something else she can do to make Nana happy again. That's when Sarah gets the idea to play the music of Swan Lake that Nana used to hear when she was a ballerina. Listening to it again makes Nana light up, and she remembers how to dance again with Sarah.

Backmatter includes a glossary for Jewish and ballet vocabulary and a note discussing the author's own experiences with loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer's, as well as the true story of Marta Cinta González, a ballerina who remembered the dances she used to do despite her disease.

WORDS TO KNOW

Alzheimer’s disease—A brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Patients become confused and forgetful. Their personalities might change. Most patients are elderly.

Jewish Terms

afikoman—A piece of matzah (unleavened cracker) that’s hidden during the Passover meal.

challah—A braided bread usually eaten on Shabbat.

Hanukkah—A festive winter holiday that lasts eight days.

menorah—A nine-branched candleholder lit on Hanukkah.

Passover—A spring holiday that celebrates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Shabbat—The day of rest and a time for family, prayer, and community.

Ballet Terms

jeté—To leap.

pirouette—To spin.

plié—Bending the knees.

pointe shoes—Worn by ballerinas to allow them to dance on their toes.

relevé—To rise on the balls of your feet.

"In this tale inspired by the experiences of prima ballerina Marta Cinta González, a former dancer struggling with Alzheimer’s disease unlocks her memory with the help of her grandchild.

Nana no longer knows how to braid challah for Shabbat, and she no longer dances with her grandchild, Sarah, the way they used to. Distressed, Sarah seeks ways to release Nana from the grip of the Memory Thief. With love and compassion, Sarah tries to lift the curtain on the memories stolen from Nana and help her rediscover the magic of dancing on the stage. After grabbing Nana’s cell phone and playing music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Sarah reaches through the past to reconnect Nana to her days as a ballerina. Nana leaves her present difficulties behind and once again soars in the spotlight as she rediscovers her love for ballet. The book is gracefully infused with Jewish concepts and traditions: Nana tells Sarah that they are “braided together, just like challah,” the two of them dance like the “flickering flames on a Hanukkah menorah,” and when Nana can’t find the right words, Sarah suggests that they’re hiding, “like the afikoman at Passover.” Lewkowicz’s gentle and evocative text shimmers with the language and symbolism of ballet, while Garland’s sweeping strokes and bold colors effectively show the contrast between Nana’s former triumphs and her new reality. Nana and Sarah are light-skinned.

A beautiful story filled with empathy for those grappling with memory loss. (glossary of ballet and Jewish terms)"

—Kirkus Reviews