Medical Professional Breaks into an Impromptu Ballet Performance in Hospital Lobby | “My Goal Was to Be Happy”

As yet another COVID-19 wave hit the state of Utah, medical professionals have been working day and night to help people in need of medical aid. Phlebotomist Teva Martinson has had a busy schedule at the University of Utah Hospital, given the situation, so when he heard someone play the piano beautifully in the lobby of his workplace, Martinson couldn't help but kick off his Crocs and break into an impromptu ballet routine right in front of the handful of people there. 

According to Fox13, Martinson—who had only been working there for about four months—was on his way to the Starbucks inside the building when he saw a woman who had volunteered to play some music on the piano. He approached her and asked her if she knew some music that would fit well with ‘ballet’. 

KUTV reports that Martinson knew what he was doing, and his steps were ever so graceful, even though some people missed it because they were just so busy with their phones. The video of a masked and graceful Martinson was captured and shared on the hospital's Twitter page, which briefly showed the pianist as well. 

It wasn't planned, but at that moment, he felt like he wanted to dance, just to feel happy. 

“I’ve gotten to see some low moments, I’ve gotten to see some really high moments but overall I think everyone is just trying to work together to keep a positive, joyous mood in the hospital,” Martinson said. “I did it because I wanted to, I felt like it was something right for me, just to like do something and make someone smile, you know to enjoy myself.”

“I just took my little Crocs off and just felt the music,” said Martinson, whose little dance has since gone viral.

“My goal when I took my shoes off and got into that headspace, was to be happy,” said Martinson. “In the long run I didn’t think that dance would go anywhere, I didn’t think it would go past the 6 or 7 people that were watching.”

A hospital spokesperson said that this was like a breath of fresh air amid doom and despair. "As our healthcare workers deal with the stress of the current surge in COVID cases, this was a much-needed moment of pure beauty and grace," said Kathy Wilets.

Martinson has been dancing since high school, and he hopes at least one person smiles after seeing his video. “I’ve had a lot of positive reinforcement just from the faculty, the staff, patients,” said Martinson. “We’re absolutely going through really tough times right now and it’s super sad to witness a lot of these things but if I can do one thing in this world to make it a brighter and happier place then I feel fulfilled."

References:

https://www.fox13now.com/news/positively-utah/u-of-u-hospital-employee-performs-spontaneous-ballet-in-lobby

https://kutv.com/news/local/masked-ballet-dancer-puts-on-spontaneous-show-in-lobby-at-u-of-u-hospital

https://twitter.com/UofUHealth/status/1432773269845946368

Cover Image Source: Twitter | University of Utah Health