Nigerian Boy Receives Scholarship To New York Dance School After They Saw His Barefoot Ballet Performance

August 12, 2020

A 45-second video of a Nigerian boy dancing barefoot in the rain has landed the aspiring dancer a scholarship at New York's ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance.

Nigerian boy ballet scholarship

Anthony's dance video went viral on social media with hundreds of thousands of views from people all over the globe.

The video eventually caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and the current artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of America’s most distinguished ballet schools.

"A friend who lives in the UK sent me the video," Harvey told Cincinatti.com. "Within a day, I was trying to find him."

Two days later, Harvey managed to contact the boy and his teacher. Soon after, she had arranged for full scholarships so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program.

"A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help," she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Anthony's teacher, Daniel Ajala Owoseni, is a self-taught dancer who opened the Leap of Dance Academy in his own small home.

The video of Anthony was filmed outside of his home due to limited space inside.

"It made us just feel very overwhelmed and grateful. We can not believe our eyes, and the outpouring of support, sometimes we think we're dreaming. God has been so gracious to us by providing all these things. Anthony is very excited and has always been a hard worker, so he is happy to continue working towards his dreams and have this opportunity," Owoseni told Bored Panda.