FEATURE: Young Nigerian man dances to make a difference
Watching a live ballet duet put Emmanuel Nwakolobia Victor, 23, on the path to achieving his dream of dancing and helping others along the way who share the same desire.
CAPE TOWN, May 11 (ANA) – A young Nigerian man is an aspiring dancer determined to make his mark on the dance scene and help others along the way who share the same desire.
Emmanuel Nwakolobia Victor, 23, who hails from Ika North East, Delta State, spoke to African News Agency (ANA) about his love for the art form and what’s next in store for him.
His dance journey began when he was invited to a church programme in 2016, where he watched two dancers perform a ballet duet.
“I was so happy about it and couldn’t stop smiling,” Victor said.
He said that growing up he always longed to dance, but there was no one to teach him and he didn’t know how to get into it.
But he said after seeing that ballet duet he built up the courage to approach the dancers. He told them he wished to learn to dance, and they took him under their wing.
Victor said he is a dancer as well as a catwalk coach. His areas of expertise include ballet, contemporary and salsa. In his free time he teaches dance to the children in the community.
When he is not dancing, he is a student at the Federal Polytechnic in Oko Town, where he is studying food technology.
“My philosophy in life is when you make an option to help others, you make society a better place and give the opportunity to make someone smile,” he said.
Recently, Victor took part in a talent showcase through an Instagram live moment with Nigerian model and influencer Bolu Okupe, to promote and give queer persons an opportunity to showcase their talents.
We asked Victor whether he had a message for queer people in Africa.
“My message to queer young people is for them to understand that society has labelled us to be evil when we didn’t hurt anyone, and our only desire is just to be who we are.
“The negativity has its own advantage and has put us below our capacity no matter how valued and worthy we could be.
“Sadly, we have to live our lives in private until it is legal in our country.”
Victor said that his dream is to become a professional international dancer and have the greatest studio ever.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher