He captivated millions with his moves, and now Anthony Mmesoma Madu is set to head to the US, where his dreams of making it big are much more likely to come true. Thanks to a video of him joyfully dancing ballet barefoot in the rain going viral, the 11-year-old Nigerian boy’s impressive skills caught the attention of the American Ballet Theatre. And the prestigious classical ballet company school went on to offer him a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders and arrange Internet access so he can train online throughout the summer. When 2021 rolls around, Lagos-based Anthony, who has also been offered other opportunities, will be physically training in the US.
“When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, ‘what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?’ ” Anthony, who is crushing negative stereotypes around male ballet dancers, told the "Washington Post." “Now I have won a grand prize to go to the US... I will be in the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me.”
Over 15 million people have watched and praised the video of the ballerino leaping and pirouetting with such elegance, despite being barefoot on a coarse pavement while it was pouring with rain. Leap of Dance Academy, Anthony’s dance school, posted the video, captioning it with, "Special shoutout to all parents who have allowed their boys to dance."
“I dance ballet because I love dancing. The feeling that comes over me is as if I’m dreaming,” Anthony, who is described as a perfectionist and dedicated by his teacher, told the BBC.
As well as garnering fans like Oprah Winfrey and propelling Hollywood superstars like Viola Davis to share the video, Anthony’s dancing has triggered a flood of donations to the Leap of Dance Academy, which doesn’t charge anything. Daniel Ajala Owoseni, who founded the small academy in 2017, said he will use the money and attention to promote ballet in Nigeria, where it is not widely practiced.
