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Photos: Indian teen pirouettes from Mumbai slum to US ballet school

15-year-old ballet dancer Amiruddin Shah performs at a show in Mumbai, India. The teenage son of a welder from a Mumbai slum won a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. Shah was doing backflips and contemporary dance when his American Israeli instructor first discovered his talent. Shah had been dancing at weddings and other functions since the age of six. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

Updated on: Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM IST

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15-year-old ballet dancer Amiruddin Shah performs at a show in Mumbai, India. The teenage son of a welder from a Mumbai slum won a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. Shah was doing backflips and contemporary dance when his American Israeli instructor first discovered his talent. Shah had been dancing at weddings and other functions since the age of six. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

15-year-old ballet dancer Amiruddin Shah performs at a show in Mumbai, India. The teenage son of a welder from a Mumbai slum won a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. Shah was doing backflips and contemporary dance when his American Israeli instructor first discovered his talent. Shah had been dancing at weddings and other functions since the age of six. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

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The youngster had never heard of ballet until one day in 2013 when he left his family’s cramped shanty to sign up for hip hop classes at a dance centre offering lessons for underprivileged children. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

The youngster had never heard of ballet until one day in 2013 when he left his family’s cramped shanty to sign up for hip hop classes at a dance centre offering lessons for underprivileged children. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

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Indian ballet dancer Amiruddin Shah poses with Israeli-American instructor Yehuda Maor (R) at a dance academy in Mumbai. (Punit Paranjpe/AFP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

Indian ballet dancer Amiruddin Shah poses with Israeli-American instructor Yehuda Maor (R) at a dance academy in Mumbai. (Punit Paranjpe/AFP)

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Maor put Shah through a rigorous training regime and the Indian quickly mastered complex moves such as the pirouette and the pointe. (Punit Paranjpe/AFP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

Maor put Shah through a rigorous training regime and the Indian quickly mastered complex moves such as the pirouette and the pointe. (Punit Paranjpe/AFP)

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‘As a ballet teacher, I’ve been trained to look for the weakest point of a dancer. With him I cannot find a weak point. He is a class by himself,’ says the 73-year-old instructor. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

‘As a ballet teacher, I’ve been trained to look for the weakest point of a dancer. With him I cannot find a weak point. He is a class by himself,’ says the 73-year-old instructor. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

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Amiruddin Shah stretches at a dance academy in Mumbai. Last year, Shah and another of Maor’s proteges, 22-year-old Manish Chauhan, won scholarships to study at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York but neither received visas in time. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

Amiruddin Shah stretches at a dance academy in Mumbai. Last year, Shah and another of Maor’s proteges, 22-year-old Manish Chauhan, won scholarships to study at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York but neither received visas in time. (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

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Now, with his visa secured, financial backing from a foundation and almost $13,000 raised from a crowd funding campaign, Shah is ready to embark on a three-year programme at JKO. (AFP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

Now, with his visa secured, financial backing from a foundation and almost $13,000 raised from a crowd funding campaign, Shah is ready to embark on a three-year programme at JKO. (AFP)

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Amiruddin Shah(L) leaves with his instructor(R) in an auto rickshaw after a practice session in Mumbai. Shah hopes for a professional contract that would see him perform in ballets worldwide and help transform the lives of his parents and seven siblings who he says have often struggled to afford food. (AP)

Updated on Jun 30, 2017 6:43 PM

Amiruddin Shah(L) leaves with his instructor(R) in an auto rickshaw after a practice session in Mumbai. Shah hopes for a professional contract that would see him perform in ballets worldwide and help transform the lives of his parents and seven siblings who he says have often struggled to afford food. (AP)

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