A viral
ballet dancer from Nigeria has earned several scholarships worldwide to follow
his dream.
Anthony
Mmesoma Madu, an 11-year-old Nigerian dancer may be described in a few terms as
elegant and ethereal. The young dancer has defied preconceptions to become a
skilled performer and more recently, a viral hit. Leap of Dance Academy (where Madu is one
of just 12 pupils) released a video in June that
showed the young artist in action.
A
barefooted Madu displays a fascinating commitment to his art in the video.
Madu's quick strides and smooth turns—on firm concrete—beckon sentiments of
inspiration and delight against the backdrop of fast pouring rain. Despite
growing up in a culture that frowns on males in ballet and having parents who
envisioned him as a priest, the young dancer has not been deterred from
pursuing his genuine love: dance. "When I'm dancing, I feel like I'm on
top of the world," he said in an interview with Reuters.
Madu's
dancing video has over 15 million views and has been praised by celebrities
such as Viola Davis, an award-winning actress. The film has also caught the
attention of Cynthia Harvey the creative director of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York. Harvey was so touched
by the little dancer's dedication and persistence that she awarded him a full
scholarship to the American Ballet Theater's three-week virtual summer dancing
program. (Access to the internet is included in the scholarship.)The viral
video has also increased outside financial support for Mudu's dancing academy
which is dedicated to providing free ballet classes to Madu and his classmates
and challenging gender norms in the field of dance. (You may contribute to the
Leap of Dance Academy’s GoFundMe campaign.)
Madu will
get a scholarship to study at Ballet beyond Borders in the United States in
2021. The young dancer is overjoyed to get all of the encouragement and
possibilities, but he is also ready to reply to those who continue to dismiss
his passion for ballet. “When my friends see me dancing,” he explains, “they
think, what is this guy doing, is he doing a foreign dance? Now I've won a
grand prize trip to the United States... I'll be on the aircraft, and this is what
I've been looking forward to, and ballet has delivered.”
Anthony
Mmesoma Madu, an 11-year-old Nigerian ballet dancer is constantly confronted
with cultural and gender prejudices.
He is one
of just 12 pupils at his dancing academy and it is apparent that he is on the
rise.
Thanks to
this mesmerizing video of barefoot ballet performance in the rain, the globe
got to observe his remarkable talent:
The young
dancer has been awarded an international dance scholarship at the ABT Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York as a result of her performance.
Leap of
Dance Academy: Facebook | Instagram | GoFundMe
H/t: [Bored Panda]
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