Enigmatic 'Dancer' Turns Heads In New York City at the BODY WORLDS: PULSE Exhibit

Her chiseled visage is seen everywhere in New York City. You see her swan-like countenance on giant billboards on Times Square, bus stop shelters, subway cars, taxi tops, and tour buses. Her arms extended behind her as she kneels in a triumphant curtsy, like a dancer in an Edgar Degas painting, she is the epitome of balletic grace. But her backstory is as memorable as the orange halo that surrounds her in all her appearances about town.

The Kneeling Lady, as she is called, is a post-mortal being, a formerly living but now deceased donor in BODY WORLDS Pulse, the museum exhibition by anatomist, Dr. Gunther von Hagens-inventor of the anatomical science of plastination. The woman made the decision to register as a donor with the body donation program managed by the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany-the source of the specimens in BODY WORLDS exhibitions. "She was resigned to her illness and was surprisingly practical and curt in her responses in the donor questionnaire she submitted," said Dr. Angelina Whalley, Managing Director of the Institute. But during a personal interview with Whalley and von Hagens close to her death, the woman spoke at length about her circumstances. She opened up about her disease, her life, her accomplishments, and her regrets. "She told us that she had always dreamed of becoming a dancer, but had never had the opportunity or the resources to dedicate her life to it. There seemed to be a lot of disappointment about a path not taken," Whalley said.

Seven months later, Whalley and von Hagens were preparing didactic plans for interpreting various body systems through plastinated specimens for a forthcoming exhibition, when they heard of her passing. "Though it was not our intention at the beginning to present her in this manner, it became clear to us as we were considering the best interpretation for the muscular system, that we would be able to honor her in this way," Whalley said.

The Kneeling Lady is the embodiment of the BODY WORLDS exhibition presented at Discovery Times Square, which ventures that a life well lived is one lived in health, with verve, to one's natural tempo, with "Pulse." The exhibition chronicles the effects of our biology, lifestyles, the choices and decisions we make, and the environment, on our physical and mental wellbeing. It presents the body in health and distress, its vulnerabilities and potential, and many of the challenges the human body faces as it navigates the 21st Century.

BODY WORLDS: PULSE features donor bodies that belonged to people who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of lay people, in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions.

Discovery Times Square (DTS) is New York City's first large-scale exhibition center presenting visitors with limited-run, educational and immersive exhibit experiences while exploring the world's defining cultures, art, history and events. More than a museum, DTS has featured exhibitions of unparalleled breadth, including Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Leonardo Da Vinci's Workshop, King Tut, Pompeii The Exhibit, Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition and most recently Terracotta Warriors: Defenders of China's First Emporer. DTS is located at 226 West 44th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenues)

For more information or to buy tickets, please visit: http://www.discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/bodyworlds