His video went viral and he is now getting so much attention online. The best part of all the online fame is that it has brought him closer to his dreams.
Anthony Mmesoma Madu is an 11-year-old boy from Nigeria who blew the world away as he danced barefoot in the rain.
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The video shows his graceful moves as he dances ballet in what seems to be an open area.
It’s was pouring down rain when the video was captured as he was dancing on the concrete – barefoot.
The video eventually became key to fulfilling his dreams, as he received multiple scholarship offers.
It also caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York, one of America’s most distinguished ballet schools.
“A friend who lives in the UK sent me the video. Within a day, I was trying to find him,” Cynthia Harvey told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Harvey added,
“Here, we’re complaining about not being able to open our buildings. But in that video, I saw a boy who was a perfect example of the tenacity someone can have when they have love and a dream. It was immediately obvious how much determination he had.”
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Harvey managed to contact Anthony and his teacher.
She then arranged for full scholarships so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program.
Aside from that, ABT also added Anthony’s teacher to their National Training Curriculum, a two-week course intended to help teachers polish up their skills a bit.
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Anthony’s teacher is 29-year-old Daniel Ajala, a self-taught ballet teacher.
He studied business administration at Lagos State University and his destiny changed when he saw the movie “Save the Last Dance.”
Of all the dance styles that were featured in the movie, it was ballet dancing that caught his attention. With the help of some YouTube video tutorials and a couple of supportive ballet teachers, he eventually learned the basics of ballet dancing.
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Late 2017, he decided to put up a school for aspiring ballet dancers and he called it the Leap of Dance Academy. His humble school stands on his very own home, whenever there is a class, he’s just creating an ample space inside his humble home for his hopeful students.
He asks no payment from his students. He just asks that they promise one thing- to never give up in pursuing their dreams.
As of this writing, he has a total of 12 hardworking students, and that includes Anthony.
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“He feels that it is more important to maintain professional discipline than to have large numbers of students,” said Mary Hubbs, a dance studio owner in Brooklyn, Michigan. She’s also one of the people who has assisted Ajala for two years.
“Where I live, there are no male ballet dancers like me,” Anthony told BBC News. Whenever he dances, he said, “the feeling that comes over me is as if I am dreaming.”
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“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help,” ABT’s Harvey said. “If there is anything the world has taught us, it’s that we have to inspire all sorts of people and that we all have a lot to learn from one another. Providing opportunities for Daniel and Anthony is the right thing to do.”
There’s no telling yet as to what Anthony’s fate will bring him. What’s certain right now is that his genuine love and passion for ballet will surely make him someone – someday.
Watch the 45 seconds viral video of Anthony below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
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