Nigerian Dancer, 11, Rewarded US Dance Scholarship
An 11-year-old boy from Badagry, Nigeria, has received a scholarship to study ballet at a prestigious dance academy in the United States of America.
Last month, Anthony Mmesoma Madu – a student at the Leap of Dance Academy – captured the hearts of social media users after a clip of him dancing on a rainy street in Lagos went viral.
The clip was shared and viewed by millions across the world – including Hollywood actress, Viola Davis, who said Madu’s ballet dancing reminded her “of the beauty of my people.”
Most importantly, it also caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City, New York.
Harvey offered Madu a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders, and has arranged Internet access for him to experience virtual training sessions this summer.
Madu excitedly commented on his scholarship: “When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, ‘What is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?’ Now I have won a grand prize … this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me.”
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