Dancing against all odds - 25th October 2023

Dancing his way into his dream, 19 year old Dyhan Cardoso is leaving the poverty stricken favelas of Belo Horizonte in Brazil behind, having been recruited to one of the world’s premiere ballet companies, Atlanta Ballet in the USA. Cardoso’s passion for dance was ignited at the age of 6. Accompanying his sister to ballet classes, which was a social project in his community, he quickly got the bug. Nevertheless, as his mother Heloisa Helena recounts, the instructor was reluctant to admit Cardoso to the class, given he was the only boy.

Heloisa Helena: "The teacher, you know, didn't really accept it because he was the only boy at school – at the ballet school. And, you know, let’s try. We decided to try. I felt like he really wanted it. And then, from his first day in the social project – he was about five to six years old – he hasn't stopped since."

Dancing to the beat of his own drum, Cardoso was undeterred by the neighbourhood kids mocking him for not having taken up football instead of dancing. A fortuitous encounter with a customer at the restaurant his mother cooks at, resulted in him getting a spot at an audition, for a dance academy on the more affluent side of town - where he not only landed a place but was also granted a scholarship to attend. Despite being a misfit at home and at school, being the sole black boy in a class of white girls, Cardoso remained focused on his dream.

Dyhan Cardoso: "At the beginning there was the issue of friends making fun. But as I was raised well, I responded and made fun of them back. So it didn't affect me, you know? I think we can't let it affect us. If it's what you want, if it's your dream, you need to go after it and achieve it, you know? Which is also a form of response."

Cardoso’s dedication to his passion has led to a major shift in his reality, as he’s due to take his place with one of the oldest continually performing ballet companies, Atlanta Ballet. Having excelled at the Ballet’s audition, held in his city, Cardoso’s received high commendations from the ballet’s artistic director.

His ballet instructor in Brazil, Dadyer Aguilera, expected nothing less from the young dancer.

Dadyer Aguilera: "A privileged physique, he has a privileged foot. He has above average technical conditions. He can do very difficult steps with extraordinary quality and very refined aesthetic beauty."