YouTube video of autistic Toronto girl’s ballet dance a viral hit worldwide

TORONTO – A YouTube video of an autistic 10-year-old Toronto girl dancing along to a memorized 19th-century ballet has spun her into the spotlight online.

The video, posted two weeks ago, shows Clara Bergs dancing step-by-step to the Coppelia ballet in her family’s living room, circling around a small footrest and positioning her body using a nearby cabinet.

Since then the four-minute recording has gone viral with more than 430,000 views and made headlines around the world.

Her mother Lisa Anderson says the attention has helped boost online donations to cover the cost of Clara’s therapy this month.

Anderson says that Clara, who also has DiGeorge Syndrome, developed an interest in ballet when she joined a community dance class three years ago.

She says Clara started practising the Coppelia ballet after her aunt showed her a video — and that another dance video is in the works.

“We’ve seen her dancing every day and didn’t realize the impact she would have on the world,” Anderson said.

“She’s quite social now and she really likes to have an audience. This is like a big audience to her.”

_ Here’s a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUcI8mA5hs