The life of Anthony Mmesoma Madu, an 11-year-old boy hailing from Nigeria, has been transformed through his unwavering love for dance. His barefoot ballet performance, under the heavy downpour of rain, was captured in a video that spread rapidly across the internet, captivating hearts around the world. The clip, initially uploaded to Instagram in June 2020, quickly garnered over 330,000 views and was shared extensively on various social media platforms. The enchanting performance reached Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York, who was deeply moved by the young boy’s talent.
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!!! ❤ pic.twitter.com/LNyWD2ZoU0
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) June 24, 2020
Harvey, who received the video from a UK-based friend, was determined to locate the young prodigy. “I started searching for him within a day,” she said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer. She successfully found Anthony and his mentor, Daniel Ajala, in a span of two days and arranged full scholarships for the gifted dancer to attend ABT’s virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program. Ajala was also offered a place in ABT’s National Training Curriculum, a fortnight course devised to refine teachers’ skills.
Harvey, herself a former lead dancer with American Ballet Theatre, was awestruck by the video, citing the boy’s tenacity and determination as the key elements that resonated with her. “The video showcased the grit and perseverance a person can exhibit when they are passionate and have a dream,” she said. According to The Washington Post, opportunities have been pouring in for Anthony since his video became viral, including a scholarship offer from Ballet Beyond Borders to train in the United States. “Now, I’ve won the grand prize to go to the U.S… Ballet has brought me this opportunity,” said Anthony. The viral video also inspired a surge of donations to Ajala’s Leap of Dance Academy, a tuition-free dance school in Nigeria.
Ajala, at 29, established the Leap of Dance Academy in his modest home in 2017, inspired by the movie “Save the Last Dance”. He learned ballet through YouTube tutorials and with the help of ballet teachers from New York, Michigan and California. Ajala turned his living space into a makeshift dance studio, pushing furniture aside and creating additional space by placing cardboard sheets on a concrete slab outside when needed. This was the very location where Anthony’s video was recorded.
Ajala, in a recent Zoom interview with Vogue, spoke of how he is trying to transform ballet, often perceived as a foreign dance, into a Nigerian art form. “There’s a saying here that a teacher’s greatest joy is a student who wants to learn. Look at the enthusiasm of my students, undeterred by the heavy downpour outside. Could anyone not be proud of these children?” Harvey echoed his sentiments. “A child showing this level of dedication deserves help. We have a lot to learn from one another. Providing opportunities for Daniel and Anthony is simply the right thing to do.”
