A Message from Ms Jen

Thank you to all of our parents and students for your support for our Virtual Performance Arts Festival. It was such a joy to watch the incredible talents of our SIS-PIK students. It reminded me of a short video of Madu, a young Nigerian boy ballet dancer that had ‘gone viral’ during our past summer. It is lovely, and I urge you to take two or three minutes to view it here. He is filmed dancing in his yard at home, in light rain, and on a rough, stony surface. He has nothing at his disposal, no dance studio, no shoes, no costume or stage props. Madu is quoted by saying: “Where I live there are no male ballet dancers like me”. His coach and dance teacher, Daniel Ajala, a self-trained dancer, has high praise for Madu’s commitment and passion. Madu’s mother makes a beautiful comment, speaking of parenthood: “Every child is talented, but our problem is that we don’t know how to discover the talents that our children have”.

Such is the nature of the internet that Madu’s dancing caught the attention of many, including Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Onassis School of Dance in New York. Harvey was so impressed by his talent that she organized for Madu to be offered a full scholarship with the American Ballet Theatre, where he will attend a summer school in 2021.  What an incredible achievement!

To our students: Find your voice, and express it positively. If you are a dancer, maybe find your feet instead of your voice. Whether it be voice or feet, if we search out and discover our unique talents, and express these with commitment and passion, we’ll make a huge difference to our own lives and also to the lives of others. Towards Greater Heights.