A few weeks ago, an 11-year-old Nigerian boy named Anthony Mmesoma Madu didn't think much as he danced passionately in the rain, in the middle of a street in Badagry, which is around six hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Lagos.

It was a lovely, heartwarming video of Anthony, beautifully dancing as the rain fell over him. However, today, the video of his graceful moves has become a viral smash that's been viewed by millions across the globe.

Performing leaps and pirouettes are what Anthony finds joy in, as opposed to the plan his parents had of him becoming a priest. "When I am dancing, I feel as if I am on top of the world," the young boy told Reuters, as reported by The Washington Post.

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His video reached so many, including the people of the American Ballet Theatre who offered the boy a scholarship. Anthony will be receiving training through online classes this summer, and he is already dreaming of flying across the sea to train at Ballet Beyond Borders on a scholarship. 

"When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, ‘what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?'" the 11-year-old said. "Now I have won a grand prize to go to the U.S... I will be in the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me." However, Anthony has already been receiving exceptional training from his inspiring teacher in the coastal town of Badagry.

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Anthony is one among dozens of students, aged between 5 abd 12, who are learning to dance from the Leap Academy of Dance. Their 29-year-old teacher, Daniel, taught himself ballet from the internet. He was only 13 when he saw Save the Last Dance, and it changed his life forever. "I basically learned all the fundamental principles of ballet through YouTube tutorials," Daniel told Vogue.

Within 10 years, Daniel was at par with the best dancers in the country; yet, the passionate dancer could not forge his career internationally as he was denied by several schools in Europe. "I was basically told that as an African I was not eligible for an international scholarship. It just seemed like blatant discrimination," Daniel said.  

Since then, he went on to establish a ballet school in his hometown and opened his doors to kids, just like him, who could not afford ballet classes but also could no forgo their love for dancing. At Daniel's ballet school, the children learn the art without having to pay any charge. A product of his ballet school, Anthony, like the other children, makes the most of what little they have to become the best they can. 

"Behind those fanciful in class beauty and costumes are lots and lots of backstage hard work," said the caption of Anthony's now-famous video on Instagram. "With very little or no resources our kids are training to be the best they can. This is not to bring down anyone but to show their high level of dedication and committments to our program. Who wouldn't be proud of them? What teacher wouldn't pray for students who shows/comes to class with so much desire to learn? Kids who are ready to dance with or without conditions. Imagine what more we could achieve if we have more?"

Along with the thousands of people who saw the viral video was Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of one of the most widely renowned ballet schools in America, ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance. It only took Cynthia a couple of days to get in touch with Anthony and Daniel, offering the former a full scholarship to the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop and the latter, the opportunity to be part of ABT's  National Training Curriculum for dance instructors to sharpen their skills, according to USA Today.

"Here, we’re complaining about not being able to open our buildings," said Cynthia. "But in that video, I saw a boy who was a perfect example of the tenacity someone can have when they have love and a dream. It was immediately obvious how much determination he had."

The Leap Academy of Dance has received donations from far and wide after Anthony's video went viral, and it shows how a little bit of passion and a whole lot of soul can go a long way. 

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