Italian principal dancer teaches ballet to Nairobi kids

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 9 - Alessio Carbone, the 46-year-old former Paris Opera Ballet etoile, has opened a new chapter of his life in Nairobi, teaching his art to some 40 kids in a slum in the Kenyan capital through the organization Still I Rise.
    The Venetian native, one of the first Italians to become a principal dancer at the prestigious ballet company, said he has "received life lessons" from his young pupils.
    After retiring during the pandemic and leaving Paris, where he spent half of his life, the artist said he felt the urge to make himself useful to those who never had the opportunity of getting acquainted with classical ballet and to express their talent.
    He said that he got in touch with Still I Rise, an organization founded by Nicolò Govoni that has been providing education to refugee and vulnerable children around the world since 2018.
    "After organizing a performance last June at the Carcano theatre in Milan to raise funds, we decided with Nicolò to bring the harmony and beauty of ballet to Mathare, one of the poorest and most problematic slums of the Kenyan capital", he told ANSA.
    Carboni said that, thanks to the program, he had 40 pupils, including kids who hailed from refugee camps and teens and children who were forced to endure abuse or commit small crimes to survive in the slum.
    Cohabiting with them allowed Carboni to discover their "dreams" as well as their commitment to get a better life.
    "In the end, I have learned more from them than I have been able to teach them through ballet", admitted Carbone, who has completed the experience and is ready for more.
    Still I rise has set up a school in one of the poorest slums in Nairobi that provides free education to get an International Baccalaureate.
    Carbone, who has three children between the ages of 10 and 3, said he is "proud of having opened this necessary door with Still I Rise" and to have contributed to the program.
    "After having completed this first adventure, I will dive back into Italian productions and tours", he said, adding that his dream is to bring his children back to Mathare "to get a taste of what I had the privilege to experience". (ANSA).