Eleven-year-old Anthony Mmesoma Madu, Nigeria’s viral ballet dancer, has received multiple scholarships from around the world to pursue his passion. One of those scholarships came from the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in the US. As Anthony prepares to embark on a journey of a lifetime in 2021, he describes how things have changed for him. A video of him dancing barefoot in the rain on concrete outside the studio where he trains, the Leap of Dance Academy, went viral last month. More than 15 million people have watched his joyful leaps and pirouettes, undeterred by the rain and coarse surface. Leap of Dance Academy reshared the video last week with the caption, “Changing stereotypes. As a dance school in Africa, and Nigeria to be precise our academy stands to educate our audience that ballet is here to stay; “It’s for both boys and girls’’ said Madu. The video caught the eye of Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director at the elite American Ballet Theatre of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York, which gave him a scholarship and arranged internet access for virtual training this summer. Next year, he will train in the United States on a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
More Stories
Botswana and Cape Verde Moved to Level 3- High Risk
10 Best Experiences in Kenya
South Africa Relaxes Travel Restrictions
These Upscale Resorts are Ideal for Anyone Craving Time in Nature
Astronomical Tourism has Become Famous in Egypt
Raising Awareness on Environmental Issues in Zimbabwe through Creativity
Fast Track to a Modern Senegal
The Cape Verde Rapper with a Feminist Message
French Gallerist Cecile Fakhoury on The Contemporary African Art Scene
8 Queer-Owned African Fashion Brands to Check Out For Pride
The Work Must Continue… Equity & Innovation for Africa’s Recovery
What’s On the Mind of Most Young Africans?