Renowned ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, aged 29, was reported to have died. This news of Michaela DePrince’s death was revealed on her Instagram account.
It can be said that her life was full of courage, dignity, and spirit to achieve the best at any cost. Despite having gone through some of the worst experiences in life, including the death of her parents in the Sierra Leone civil war, physical abuse in an orphanage, and ethnic prejudice in the ballet, Michaela DePrince becomes an icon of hope to society.
Sierra Leone-born DePrince spent her early childhood in a juvenile home where she was neglected and fed poorly because of the skin ailment – vitiligo.
Observing that the model chose the wrong ethnicity, it is important to mention that after becoming an adoptee of the American family, she found the calling to ballet, being a dancer, even though she faced prejudices and racism in that sphere.
DePrince’s family recalled she was a beautiful and strong spirit a little girl who used to choreograph her own ballet and musical theatre shows with her sister, Mia. They fostered her ambitions, and she later on grew into a graceful and hard-working ballet dancer who was also philanthropic.
However, DePrince’s dancing career is not the only achievement she leaves behind. She was also a loud voice calling for more company diversification and a less Blacks-phobic mentality.
She is a symbol of hope, courage, strength, and the spirit that never gives up no matter the circumstances, which in turn has inspired millions of people across the globe.
The story of Michaela DePrince, a famous ballet dancer, is full of great adversity and great achievements. At age four, after experiencing the civil war in Sierra Leone, then she walked barefoot for days to a refugee camp before an American family took her in.
DePrince’s childhood can be considered traumatic; she had health issues and suffered from hunger. The adoptive mother related that she was sick and traumatized by her symptoms, such as tonsillitis, fevers, mononucleosis, and swelling of joints.
But she was determined to go forward because of ballet dancing that she developed after seeing a ballerina’s photo taken in Sierra Leone.
However, like most black dancers, DePrince suffered from discrimination and was discouraged even though she began ballet training at the age of five.
At the age of eight, she was informed the United States didn’t need a Black ballet performer; at the age of nine, a teacher stated that Black girls don’t deserve to be nurtured or developed.
Unwavering, Michaela DePrince joined the Rock School for Dance Education, which is considered to be one of the best in the world.
May her courage and talent continue to inspire several aspiring ballet dancers!
