A Nigerian dance group with a disabled member has suddenly gained popularity after posting their videos to social media.
One video has tens of thousands of views. The dancers are children as young as five years old. They are called “The Incredible Kids.”
Their videos have been posted to the video sharing service Instagram. The children dance quickly to popular Nigerian songs. And they are busy performing in cities like Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.
One dancer is 15-year-old Joshua Anum. Joshua has a disability. He lost his arm after an accident at the age of five. Joshua’s father left him and his 8 brothers and sisters. They did not have much to eat when growing up. But that has not stopped Joshua from dancing, and it has changed his life.
“Before I came here I used to go to parties, I used to fight anywhere I went and I was not going to school,” said Joshua. “Since coming here I have started school and I read and dance.
Vera Anum is Joshua’s mother. She said that she was very sad when the doctors removed his arm. But now she is happy and proud of him.
“Everybody thought…he will not be useful in life. Our people at home said he is finished because somebody whose hand has been amputated from childhood, what can he do?” Vera said.
She said, “See him today, at least the whole world is seeing him, watching him how he is performing.”
Maliki Emmanuel is the dance group’s creator. Emmanuel said that many of the dancers do not have a good family life, so he has offered them support and a home.
The students often gather around Emmanuel in his chair at his home and watch music videos together so they can get new ideas for the dance moves and performances.
Emmanuel hopes to expand his group with more children who need a home and love to dance. “I can teach them then we will bring them to the crew,” Emmanuel said.
Money from the dancers’ performances helps pay the cost of the children’s education.
I’m Faith Pirlo.
Abraham Achirga reported this story for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
view – n. an internet search that is stored in a database
proud –adj. very pleased because of something you have done or of someone you know or someone you are related to
amputated – v. removed from the body
crew– n. a group of people who work closely together on a project
What do you think of Nigeria’s “Incredible Kids?”