Things That Matter

The picture above shows Olamide Olawale, a student/assistant ballet teacher of the Leap of Dance Academy, performing a dance routine in Okelola street in Ajangbadi, Lagos, Nigeria. The Leap of Dance Academy is a ballet school in a poor district of the sprawling megacity of Lagos that aims to bring dance to underprivileged children in Africa’s most populous nation. The school is the brainchild of self-taught ballet lover Daniel Ajala, who opened its doors in late 2017 after studying the dance moves online and in books. Now the academy, which Ajala funds out of his own pocket, has 12 pupils aged from 6 to 15. The lessons are free and shoes and kit provided to the children, most of whom had never heard of ballet before they got involved. Below is pictured Olamide Olawale (front) standing in the relevé à la pointe position during rehearsals with student. Photos: Benson Ibeabuchi/AFP via Getty Images.