In June, a minute-long video featuring a young ballet student dancing in the
rain began circulating on the internet. As the rain falls, forming puddles between
the uneven slabs of concrete on which he dances, Anthony Mmesoma Madu, 11, turns
pirouette after pirouette.
The wide reach of the video-it has been seen more than 20 million times on social
media platforms-has turns a spotlight on the unlikely story of a ballet school in
a poor suburb of Lagos, Nigeria: the Leap of Dance Academy.
Founded in 2017, the academy has transformed the lives of its students, affording
them a place to dance and to dream.
For now, the Leap of Dance Academy is housed at the home of its founder, Daniel
Owoseni Ajala, in Ajangbadi, Ojo, on the western outskirts of Lagos. Every day after
school, Ajala's 12 students walk to his apartment, where he pushes aside his
furniture and spreads a thin vinyl sheet over the cement floor for class, throwing
open the doors and windows to let in the light.
Against swaths of candy-colored chiffon-intended to make the humble setting a
little more festive-students move through their lessons in small groups, leaning
against a short, stationary ballet barre and craning their necks to watch Ajala,
or an overseas instructor on Zoom, give corrections.
"We have heard from so many people who are inspired by the students and by dance,"
Ajala said. "They felt our joy and came alive. They reminded us that art is here to stay."