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NEW YORK, N.Y. –Acclaimed ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince has died at the age of 29. Her career which includes dancing for the Dutch National Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem has inspired many across the globe.
The news was announced by her siblings Mia and Erik DePrince on September 13, three days after her passing. Her cause of death has not been officially released. In a heartbreaking development, her adoptive mother Elaine DePrince died four days after her daughter during a routine procedure in preparation for an upcoming surgery.
Born in war-stricken Sierra Leone, Michaela Mabinty DePrince dreamt of a life of tights and pointe shoes. Amid the country’s civil war, rebel forces shot and killed her biological father, leaving her orphaned at the age of three. Her biological mother’s death soon followed.
Her time as an orphan in Sierra Leone was anything but simple. Deprince had vitiligo, a skin condition that was the source of mistreatment and torment. Many in Sierra Leone consider the condition to be a curse, with DePrince being referred to as “the devil’s child.” Despite her mistreatment, it was at this orphanage that she first caught a glimpse of the ballet world.
Elaine and Charles DePrince, a married couple from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, adopted DePrince at the age of four. Michaela then found herself living in the United States with ten new brothers and sisters.
Her adoptive family noticed her keen interest in ballet and promptly enrolled her in dance classes. DePrince, who was no stranger to adversity, had a new world to conquer and navigate.
Early Callings to the Stage
Ballet is traditionally a white-dominated field of dance. In the 85-year history of the American Ballet Theatre, there has only been one Black principal dancer, Misty Copeland. One ballerina who left a lasting impression on DePrince was Lauren Anderson, a former principal dancer for Houston Ballet. Despite only a sliver of representation, DePrince didn’t falter on her journey to ballet greatness.
At the age of eight, she auditioned for and won the role of Marie in The Nutcracker. However, they told the young dancer that the audience would not accept her because of her skin color and prevented her from performing the role.
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DePrince trained at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia throughout her high school years. In 2011, the then 14-year-old appeared in First Position, a documentary that showcased dancers competing in the Youth America Grand Prix.
Professional Ballet Debut
The documentary’s release led to her receiving a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet at the American Theatre Ballet. Opportunities continued to roll in for the teenager when Dancing with the Stars offered her a spot in the 2012 season. By the age of 17, she was performing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
DePrince then began to take her talents internationally. She made her professional debut as a guest principal dancer at Joburg Ballet in South Africa. Her love for dance also took her to Europe where she joined the Dutch National Junior Company, quickly rising through the ranks.
In 2014, DePrince, alongside her mother, wrote and published a memoir, Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina. Two years later she made an appearance in Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade.
After dancing in the Netherlands for several years, DePrince returned to the U.S. to dance with the Boston Ballet. The diversity and culture exhibited by the Boston company drew her in. This would be the final company she danced with before her passing.
“Her courage and perseverance will have a lasting impact on the dance community, here in Boston and around the world,” said Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen.
Boston Ballet will be dedicating its fall program to Michaela Mabinty DePrince’s honor.
