NIGERIAN BALLET DANCER GETS US SCHOLARSHIP AFTER VIDEO GOES VIRAL
A video of a boy doing ballet on a wet and muddy concrete floor, with no shoes in the pouring rain, captured the hearts of thousands of people, and got 11-year-old Anthony Madu a scholarship… and the chance of a lifetime.
What struck most people about the video was the big smile on Anthony’s face even though it’s evident that he is faced with hardship.
"Ballet is my life. I practice everywhere. When I am dancing I feel as if I’m on top of the world. Any time my mom sends me on an errand, I dance ballet before I go to that place and it makes me feel very, very happy," Anthony told News24.
The video has been viewed more than 15 million times on social media and it caught the attention of the ballet world, especially the American Ballet Theatre in New York, where he received a scholarship from Ballet Without Borders.
While most international borders are still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ballet school has arranged internet access so that he can start training through their virtual classes until he can travel to the United States in 2021.
The non-profit dance studio where Anthony currently trains has also received donations.
Watch the StagethemTV video below that went viral.
Image credit: News18