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An 11-year-old boy from Nigeria has received a scholarship offer to a top NYC dance school after a video of him dancing in the rain went viral, according to People.
Anthony Mmesoma Madu recorded a video of himself showing off his ballet skills outside in the rain. The video quickly caught the internet’s attention, eventually making its way to Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of the most prestigious dance schools in New York. “A friend who lives in the UK sent me the video. Within a day, I was trying to find him,” Harvey said.
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Madu is one of just 12 students who attend the Leap of Dance Academy, a dance school in Lagos, Nigeria founded by Daniel Ajala Owoseni in 2017. As of now, there is no designated dance space and Owoseni teaches the children for free. The dance instructor said he hopes to “change stereotypes around ballet dance.”
Harvey managed to track down Anthony and Owoseni, offering a full scholarship to the pre-teen to attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop and extending an offer to Owoseni to be a part of ABT’s National Training Curriculum which helps instructors perfect their skills.
“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help. If there is anything the world has taught us, it’s… that we all have a lot to learn from one another. Providing opportunities for Daniel and Anthony is the right thing to do,” Harvey said.
Owoseni said Anthony is a very dedicated and committed student. He hopes his program will continue to attract young boys interested in dance and show them that it is a viable career option.
“Boys can actually do ballet. Male ballet dancing is here to stay and it is not only supposed to be for females,” he said.
Anthony expressed his love for ballet and his hope that he inspires other young dancers, saying, “The feeling that comes over me [when I dance] is as if I am dreaming. When people see ballet they think it is only for girls. How I want them to see me is when I am dancing, they know that there is a male ballet dancer.”
Congratulations Anthony!!
Photo Courtesy of @leapofdanceacademy/Instagram