- Anthony has always dreamed to become a successful ballet dancer even though his parents wanted him to become a priest.
- After his video ballet dancing in the rain barefooted went viral, he has received many praises and best of all, scholarships!
- He is going to train via the internet for three weeks and next year, he is going to the U.S. for yet another ballet scholarship!
Anthony Mmesoma Madu’s parent’s dream for him was to become a priest. But in his heart, he has another love and passion — ballet dancing — and he is quite on his way working for that dream now, thanks to the international scholarships!
The 11-year-old boy from Lagos, Nigeria, loves ballet dancing so much and he certainly has the grace and poise of a great ballet dancer in the making. It’s a talent that changes attitude, refines posture, and inspires millions of people.
Anthony is a student at the Leap of Dance Academy among 11 others. It’s a school that teaches ballet lessons to kids his age for free! It was founded by Daniel Ajala Owoseni in order to teach appreciation to the dance as an art especially to people who can’t afford ballet. But more than that, Anthony is breaking stereotypes being a young male ballet dancer!
“When I am dancing, I feel as if I am on top of the world,” he told Reuters.
This young boy’s amazing journey to the ballet world started in June when his video dancing in the rain while barefooted went viral. Viola Davis, an Academy Award-winning actress was just one of the millions of people who were inspired by his video. She reposted it with a caption describing how her people can “fly.”
But it was Cynthia Harvey, artistic director of ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York, who offered the young boy with full scholarship after she saw his video and got so impressed by his graceful moves!
The scholarship is for a three-week dance workshop by the American Ballet Theater via virtual classes! They also assured him he will have access to the internet.
But that’s not all! Anthony was also offered with another scholarship at Ballet Beyond Borders! They will be sending him to the US by 2021 for ballet training. Aalso, his fame has brought many donations in his local ballet school. It truly is an achievement for Anthony.
“When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?” he said. “Now I have won a grand prize to go to the U.S. … I will be in the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me.”
Source: Inspire More
