The Nutcracker, at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on Dec 6. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP
Bravian Mise, 14, practices a series of long leaps and pirouettes in the narrow living room of his tin-roofed house in a slum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The boy has taken up classical dance in the hope of one day becoming a professional. Bravian is part of a troupe supported by Dance Centre Kenya who has been rehearsing Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker, for months.
The famous ballet tells the story of young Clara who, on one Christmas Eve, is given a nutcracker doll. At night, the toys come to life and the nutcracker transforms into a prince.
Heart for art
