A poor Nigerian boy whose unlikely trip to a British dance academy is chronicled by Disney met Queen Consort Camilla on Tuesday as he trains to turn professional.
Anthony Madu, 13, studies at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham, central England, two years after leaving the sprawling megalopolis of Lagos.
Queen Consort Camilla visited Elmhurst as part of the school’s centenary celebrations, wishing him “good luck” after asking about his interest in dancing.
Later, Buckingham Palace shared photos of Camilla with Madu.
The palace said: “A wonderful day in the West Midlands! The Queen Consort joined staff and students at @elmhurstballetschool to celebrate the school’s centenary.
“Among the students was Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu, who received a scholarship for the school in 2020 after a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral online.”
Later, she visited the volunteers at Southwater One Library to thank them for their generous support to the local community.
According AFPlast September, Disney announced it was making a documentary about Madu’s remarkable journey from the Leap of Dance Academy in Lagos to Britain.
Newspapers dubbed him the “Nigerian Billy Elliot”, after the award-winning 2000 film about a coal miner’s son from northern England who wins a place in the Royal Ballet.