Nigerian boy gains fame with viral dance video; earns ballet scholarship from US

Ballet student Anthony Mmesoma Madu (centre), dances in the street as fellow dancers look on in Lagos, Nigeria on Aug 18, 2020. Photo: AP

When Anthony Mmesoma Madu was videoed practicing ballet barefoot in the drizzling rain in Nigeria earlier this year, the 11-year-old thought the footage would be used for a common film study session.

Instead, the cellphone video of him performing the pirouette without shoes on the unevenly wet concrete was seen by a much bigger audience. The video has garnered more than 20 million views on social media including by Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo, who has won Grammy and Tony awards.