‘Nigeria’s Billy Elliot’, 14, who was offered a place at prestigious UK ballet school when a video of him pirouetting in the rain went viral reveals he thought he may never dance professionally because he’s blind in one eye

A 14-year-old Nigerian dancer who was offered a place at a prestigious ballet school has spoken of his fear that blindness in one eye would stop him from dancing.

Anthony Madu, from Lagos, captured the internet’s attention in 2020 when a video of him expertly pirouetting in the rain at the age of 11 went viral and was shared by Hollywood actress Viola Davis.

The 14-year-old has since been offered a scholarship to one of Britain’s most elite ballet schools, Birmingham’s Elmhurst Ballet School.

Anthony, who has been dubbed ‘Nigeria’s Billy Elliot’, spoke on Good Morning Britain today about how his life has changed over the past four years.

He said: ‘It was really exciting and a bit surreal. I wanted to go to ballet school, but I didn’t think I would go to a school like Elmhurst. It was exciting but also difficult because I had to leave my family.

He caught the internet’s attention in 2020 when a clip of him expertly pirouetting in the rain at the age of 11 went viral and was shared by Hollywood actress Viola Davis

‘I have contact with my mother every day.’

Anthony is also mostly blind in one eye, but it doesn’t stop him from continuing to pursue his passion.

He said: ‘When I got behind my eyes it felt really scary because I thought I was going blind and wouldn’t be able to dance anymore.

‘But then I did all the tests I needed and it turned out that it didn’t get much worse and it didn’t get any better. This will remain so forever.

‘Thanks to the school I was able to get glasses.’

The talented star said he knew at the age of five he wanted to be a dancer, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to specialize in.

“I looked up different dances and found ballet and it looked really cool and I wanted to do it,” he said.

‘Three years later I was able to go to dance school and I remember my mother telling me that she had found a ballet school for me.’

Speaking about the viral video that changed his life, Anthony said it feels strange to watch it again because it makes him look “really young” and “completely different.”

Sabina Storrod of the Elmhurst Ballet School (right) said that world is ‘Anthony’s oyster’

Anthony said he had no intention of posting the video that got him noticed

“We just filmed it but didn’t really plan on posting it, and the next day it was (everywhere),” he said.

Sabina Storrod from Elmhurst Ballet School said: “The world is Anthony’s oyster. Talent can only take you so far and we are so remembered by his work ethic and resilience.

“I saw the video during Covid and was blown away. I said to our director, how can we help this young person’s journey?

“We contacted the family and Anthony’s mother said they had raised some money and he might come to Europe and (asked) if he could visit Elmhurst.”

Sabina added that Anthony is exploring different dance styles and is currently into modern.

The gifted teenager said he misses his favorite dish, jollof rice, and looks forward to traveling back to Nigeria soon to catch up with his family.

He will be part of a new Disney+ documentary that follows his journey from leaving his life in Lagos to moving to Britain.