Michaela DePrince, a rare black prima ballerina of this caliber, died on September 10 at the age of 29. Orphaned by the civil war in Sierra Leone, she had been adopted by a family in the United States and became the youngest prima ballerina in the Dance Theatre from Harlem to New York.
“It is with heavy hearts that we learn of the passing of superstar ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched countless hearts and whose spirit inspired so many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet and beyond.” This is the message that was published on September 13 on the dancer’s Instagram account, signed ” MDP team » with a photo of the young woman and her age, but without indicating the circumstances of her death.
Born in Kenema in 1995, orphaned by the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), abandoned by her uncle, suffering from vitiligo – a disease causing partial depigmentation of the skin – Michaela DePrince was taken in by an orphanage in her country and adopted at the age of 4 by an American couple from New Jersey.
Having become a professional dancer, she joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem at just 17 years old before joining the Joburg Ballet, the corps de ballet of Johannesburg, in South Africa, then the National Ballet of the Netherlands before returning to the United States in Boston in 2021.
Michaela DePrince’s Adoptive Mother Dies 24 Hours After Daughter’s Death
” Michaela DePrince made history by becoming the youngest principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem. (in New York), before moving to the Netherlands to dance with the Dutch National Ballet, then boosting her career with the Boston Ballet by returning to the United States where her performances continued to captivate audiences’ wrote the Boston Ballet Corps on Instagram, adding ‘She was a wonderful person, a wonderful dancer and will be missed by all of us.s’.
Also read
The young woman, who was seen dancing in the video clip of Beyoncé’s song Lemonade In 2016, it was the subject of a documentary The dance competition, directed in 2012 by Bess Kargman. In March 2018, American star Madonna announced the production of a feature film inspired by the story of Michaela DePrince. The film, which never saw the light of day, was to be adapted from the autobiographical book Taking Flightpublished in 2014.
Sad twist of fate, we learned that sAdoptive mother Elaine DePrince died 24 hours after Michaela’s disappearance on September 11, during a routine pre-surgery exam, without knowing her daughter was dead.
Philippe Gault (with AFP)
Find out the latest news on the Classic
