Image source: BetterIndia
In an instance of delight, a 15-year-old boy from Vashi, Navi Mumbai, has been accepted in world’s leading ballet school in New York. Amiruddin Shah, who prefers to be called Amir, has been dancing since he was six. And while those of his age chose to explore hip-hop, his dance teacher, observing his grace and agility asked Amir to take up ballet dancing.
“Until then, I’d been learning the hip-hop genre of dancing which I’d taken up since 2013,” Amir says.
“I don’t know how the ballet theory got into this kid’s body,” said the Israeli-American teacher. “And he knew everything. He learned the language very naturally.” Yehuda Maor, Amir’s mentor is an American-Israeli dance teacher at The Danceworx performing arts academy. And ever since he discovered the talent Amir was, he has been personally helping him sharpen his skills.
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Amir who dreams to share the stage with Russian ballet dancer and principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Daniil Simkin, says “I will continue to push myself until I get there,”
“Once I’d walked into the world of ballet, nothing seemed more important in my life. In fact, it had been a long-cherished dream to be a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre and with this opportunity, I hope I can become one someday,” Amir says.
Amir, whose comes a very modest economic background, has received a rare invitation to study at one of the world’s leading ballet schools, located in New York – if he can raise the funds for his air travel, visa and lodgings. The teenager has received an invitation from the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. Among the ABT’s principal dancers are Misty Copeland, Stella Abrera and Marcello Gomes.
However, this is not the first time that a prestigious university has invited Amir, he has received invitations from the Joffrey Ballet School in New York and the Oregon Ballet Theatre school earlier. But he was unable to take up the offers become of visa issues. Amir, whose story was reported by The Better India, is now trying to raise $15,000 for the trip to America. Most recently, the total stood at $2,218.
Watch Amir’s video below: