Slum To Stage

‘Slum to Stage’ is an initiative aimed at developing underprivileged young dancers by providing them with the resources, facilities and mental support needed to excel, specifically in ballet. The initiative’s pilot project will focus on training twenty children and teenagers within the FCT. It will be kicked off through a Dance & Art Exhibition holding on the 24th of July, 2022 at the Transcorp Hilton.

The Slum to Stage Dance Exhibition is a display of African talent and elegance: several dance performances that show off the skill and potential of young Nigerian Ballet dancers. This event will be followed immediately by an Art Exhibition, with a similar aim as the former.

A celebration of African ballet dancers in the form of art prints. It is a charity auction where we hope to raise enough funds to drive the initiative to fruition.
The initiative was founded and spearheaded by Emmanuel Osahor, a Nigerian contemporary ballet dancer with decades of experience under his belt. With his experience, expertise, and passion, he is building awareness for the development of child ballet.

He has facilitated several dance trainings and programmes on local, national levels and across Sub-Saharan Africa. He is helping young children to break societal
stereotypes and pursue careers in the performing arts, especially ballet dancing. Prompted by the glaring insufficiency of proper structures or support systems for kids in Africa who want to dance but simply cannot afford to, Emmanuel birthed Slum to Stage.

At Slum to Stage, we are putting out one essential message to children: ‘Dare to Dream.’ Slum to stage is an initiative that not only encourages young, gifted dancers to be courageous enough to pursue their dreams, but provides them with a stable support system that will make them the refined ballet dancers they dream of becoming.

For the pilot project, we are particular about helping two categories of children. Ten (10) children who dropped out of ballet dance classes/academies because they could no longer afford the financial costs, and ten (10) children who have discovered paths in non-conventional art spaces like ballet, but need the financial and mental push to start their journey on these paths.