Washington PostDancing takes a lot of hard work and dedication. But 11-year-old Anthony Mmesoma Madu from Badagry, Nigeria has such great dance skills that he earned himself a full scholarship for it.
Anthony Learned to Dance at the Leap of Dance Academy
The dancer not only enjoys dancing in his free time, but he takes his hobby very seriously and attends dance class religiously.
One Day, One of His Dance Videos Went Viral
In this particular video, Anthony was dancing barefoot in the rain ever so gracefully to nothing but the sound of the rain’s pitter patter.
Not even the puddles under his feet could stop him!
His Video Caught the Attention of Some Pretty Important People
One of those people happened to be American Actress, Viola Davis.
In a Tweet, she said, “Reminds me of the beauty of my people. We create, soar, can imagine, have unleashed passion, and love….despite the brutal obstacles that have been put in front of us! Our people can fly!!!” in response to watching the video.
The Video Also Fell into the Hands of an Artistic Director at a Prestigious Dance School
Cynthia Harvey may be over 5,000 miles away from Anthony. However, it wasn’t long until she came across his incredible dance performance.
Cynthia Offered the 11-Year-Old Dancer a Scholarship at Her Dance Studio
If he accepts, Anthony will be able to attend the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York City for free.
The Artistic Director Knows Anthony Would Be the Perfect Addition to Her Studio
I mean, she’d be crazy if she didn’t want to offer him the scholarship!
She Believes it Was the Least Should Could Do
“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help.”
A Dance Career Might Just Be in His Future
Thanks to the scholarship and his gone-viral video, Anthony’s love for dance might just become a future career. He definitely has it in him!
Ballet isn’t Just for Girls
“Where I live there are no male ballet dancers like me. When people see ballet they think it is only for girls, they don’t know that it is not only for girls,” said Anthony.
Hopefully, he can inspire more boys to partake in ballet.
WATCH VIDEO HERE:
