<p>Gracefully spinning among a group of dancers clad in pink, 11-year-old Anthony Mmesoma Madu stands out in black leggings, a white turtleneck and poise beyond his years.</p>.<p>His parents in Lagos, Nigeria's teeming lagoon city, wanted him to become a priest. Instead, he has captivated millions with his ballet.</p>.<p>"When I am dancing, I feel as if I am on top of the world," he told Reuters.</p>.<p>A video of him dancing barefoot in the rain on the concrete outside the studio where he trains, the Leap of Dance Academy, went viral last month.</p>.<p>More than 15 million people have watched his joyful leaps and pirouettes, undeterred by the rain and coarse surface.</p>.<p>The video caught the eye of the elite American Ballet Theatre, which gave him a scholarship and arranged internet access for virtual training this summer.</p>.<p>Next year, he will train in the United States on a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders.</p>.<p>"When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?" he said. "Now I have won a grand prize to go to the US ... I will be on the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me."</p>.<p>The video also sparked a flood of donations to the academy, which teaches its students for free. Founder Daniel Ajala Owoseni said he will use the money, and fame, to promote ballet in Nigeria, a country where it is not yet widely practised.</p>.<p>"I saw the need to bring a form of art that shows discipline, dedication and commitment," he said. "Students who are able to learn all of these can ... transfer (them) into other spheres of their lives." </p>
<p>Gracefully spinning among a group of dancers clad in pink, 11-year-old Anthony Mmesoma Madu stands out in black leggings, a white turtleneck and poise beyond his years.</p>.<p>His parents in Lagos, Nigeria's teeming lagoon city, wanted him to become a priest. Instead, he has captivated millions with his ballet.</p>.<p>"When I am dancing, I feel as if I am on top of the world," he told Reuters.</p>.<p>A video of him dancing barefoot in the rain on the concrete outside the studio where he trains, the Leap of Dance Academy, went viral last month.</p>.<p>More than 15 million people have watched his joyful leaps and pirouettes, undeterred by the rain and coarse surface.</p>.<p>The video caught the eye of the elite American Ballet Theatre, which gave him a scholarship and arranged internet access for virtual training this summer.</p>.<p>Next year, he will train in the United States on a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders.</p>.<p>"When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?" he said. "Now I have won a grand prize to go to the US ... I will be on the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me."</p>.<p>The video also sparked a flood of donations to the academy, which teaches its students for free. Founder Daniel Ajala Owoseni said he will use the money, and fame, to promote ballet in Nigeria, a country where it is not yet widely practised.</p>.<p>"I saw the need to bring a form of art that shows discipline, dedication and commitment," he said. "Students who are able to learn all of these can ... transfer (them) into other spheres of their lives." </p>