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 His parents in Lagos, Nigeria's
teeming lagoon city, wanted him to become a
priest. Instead, he has captivated millions with
his ballet.
"When I am dancing, I feel as if I am on top of
the world," he told Reuters.
A video of him dancing barefoot in the rain on
concrete outside the studio where he trains, the
Leap of Dance Academy, went viral last month.
More than 15 million people have watched his
joyful leaps and pirouettes, undeterred by the
rain and coarse surface.
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.
Next year, he will train in the United States on
a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders.
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 "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 U.S. ... I
will be in the plane and this is what I am
waiting for, and ballet has done it for me."
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.
"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."
(Additional reporting by Angela Ukomadu in
Lagos; Writing By Libby George; Editing by
Alexis Akwagyiram and Mike Collett-White)
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