“When I got that call that I won a scholarship to the U.S in the year 2021, I was very, very happy, I was like, ‘What? Is this what God can do?’” Madu recalled. Ballet, he added, “is hard to learn but if you put your effort, you can learn it.”

Madu is too young to physically travel and study in New York. The minimum age to be a student in the city and live in a dorm is 15, but he’s been offered a summer scholarship, with the possibility of him continuing this fall under discussion, Miller said.

Miller said the American Ballet Theater is currently working on a schedule for Madu that works with the six-hour time difference. The company is also talking to him about taking part in weekend programs.

The video was the idea of Madu’s trainer, Daniel Ajala, a self-trained ballet dancer. He’s also the founder of Leap of Dance Academy, which he started in 2017.

Ajala suggested the idea as a way for Madu to review his technique. He’s been a strong advocate in supporting his students to follow their dreams, despite their circumstances.

“I wanted to be able to give an opportunity to every child by making my program free so that they would be no excuse that any child could give that it was the reason they couldn’t pursue their love for dance,” he said.

Ajala said his dance school has received donations, which will be used to create a standard dance academy with housing.

“Some of our students have to walk one hour or there about to the academy so we wanted to have like a comfortable space for them to be able stay while they can’t go home.”