Prima ballerina Michaela DePrince dies at age 29

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Michaela DePrincea rare black star dancer of this level, orphan of civil war in Sierra Leone and adopted by a family in the United States, died at the age of 29 ans.

The announcement was made on Friday, September 13, 2024, on the dancer’s social networks. “It is with heavy hearts that we learn of the death of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince,” read a post published on the dancer’s Instagram account.

“An indelible mark on the world of ballet”

The message recalls a person whose “artistic talent has touched countless hearts and whose spirit has inspired so many others, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet and beyond,” is written on the artist’s account, signed “MDP team” with a photo of the young woman and her age.

“The Boston Ballet Corps, the historic New England city on the northeast coast of the United States, also shared on Instagram its “love and support for the family of Michaela Mabinty DePrince.” It described her as “a beautiful person, a wonderful dancer and who will be missed by all of us.”

Michaela DePrince “made history by becoming the youngest prima ballerina of Dance Theatre from Harlem (in New York), continues the Boston ballet corps.

She then moved to the Netherlands to dance with the Dutch National Ballet, then boosted her career with the Boston Ballet by returning to the United States where her performances continued to captivate audiences.

His journey retraced in a documentary

The young woman had also been the subject of a documentary, The dance competition de Bess Kargman, sorti en 2012.

In March 2018, American megastar Madonna had 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.

War Orphan

Orphan of the Civil War in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), abandoned by her uncle, suffering from vitiligo – a disease causing depigmentation of the skin – Michaela DePrince had been taken in from an orphanage from her country and adopted by an American couple.

Having become a professional dancer, she also joined the Joburg Ballet, the ballet corps of Johannesburg, in South Africa, before moving to the Netherlands and returning to the United States.

Source : © 2024 AFP

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