Michaela DePrince facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michaela DePrince
|
|
|---|---|
DePrince in 2019
|
|
| Born |
Mabinty Bangura
6 January 1995 Kenema, Sierra Leone
|
| Died | September 2024 (aged 29) |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Years active | 2010–2024 |
| Former groups |
|
Michaela Mabinty DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura, January 6, 1995 – September 2024) was a talented ballet dancer. She was from Sierra Leone and later became an American citizen. Michaela danced with the Boston Ballet and other famous companies.
Michaela became well-known after appearing in the 2011 documentary First Position. This film showed her and other young dancers getting ready for the Youth America Grand Prix. With her adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince, she wrote a book called Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina (2014).
In 2013, Michaela danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She was the youngest dancer ever in that company. Later that year, she became a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet. From 2016 to 2024, she was a goodwill ambassador for War Child. This group helps children affected by war.
Contents
Early Life and Adoption
Michaela was born as Mabinty Bangura in Kenema, Sierra Leone. She grew up in an orphanage because of the Sierra Leone Civil War. Her adoptive parents were told her father died when she was three. Her mother passed away soon after.
Michaela often didn't have enough food. She was also treated badly and called a "devil's child." This was because of vitiligo, a skin condition that causes light patches. She had to run away to a refugee camp after her orphanage was bombed.
In 1999, when she was four, Michaela and another girl named Mabinty were adopted. Elaine and Charles DePrince, a couple from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, adopted them. They brought the girls to the United States. The DePrince family adopted nine children, including Michaela.
Becoming a Ballerina
Early Training
Michaela was inspired by a magazine cover of a ballerina. She found it outside her orphanage in Sierra Leone and kept it. In the U.S., she trained to become a ballet dancer. She performed in many competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix.
She studied classical ballet at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While training hard, Michaela also took online classes. She earned her high school diploma from Keystone National High School.
Michaela faced challenges because of her race. When she was eight, she was told she couldn't dance as Marie in The Nutcracker. They said "America's not ready for a Black girl ballerina." A year later, a teacher told her mother that investing in Black dancers wasn't worth it.
Rising to Fame
Michaela was one of the main dancers in the 2011 film First Position. This documentary showed six young dancers trying to get into a top ballet school. She earned a scholarship to study at the American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet.
She also performed on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. In 2011, she danced in Europe for the first time. This was in Abdallah and the Gazelle of Basra in the Netherlands. A year later, she returned to dance as The Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
In 2012, she finished her studies at the American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. She then joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She was the youngest member of that company. Her first professional performance was in Le Corsaire on July 19, 2012.
Dutch National Ballet
In July 2013, Michaela joined the junior company of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. In August 2014, she became a student with the main company. In 2015, she was promoted to a coryphée. This is a dancer who performs in a group.
In 2016, she was promoted again to a grand sujet. This is a higher rank. By the end of that year, she became a soloist. When she first joined, she was the only dancer of African origin. In 2016, she appeared in the "Hope" part of Beyoncé's Lemonade video.
Michaela looked up to Lauren Anderson. Lauren was one of the first Black American principal ballerinas. In 2015, a movie company bought the rights to Michaela's book. In 2018, it was announced that Madonna would direct a movie about Michaela's life.
In 2019, Michaela organized a special event for War Child Holland. It raised over half a million dollars for children affected by war. In September 2020, Michaela announced she was taking a break from the Dutch National Ballet. She started online coaching sessions with Charla Genn.
Boston Ballet
In 2021, Michaela joined the Boston Ballet as a second soloist. She chose Boston Ballet because it had many talented Black dancers. She also liked its culture and the types of ballets they performed.
Michaela danced the main role in Coppelia. This was a 2021 ballet film without talking. It mixed live dance with animation. It was a modern version of an old story by E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Personal Life
While dancing with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Michaela toured Israel. She prayed at the Wailing Wall. She wore a hamsa for protection. This symbol is important to both Jewish and Muslim people.
In 2015, it was reported that Michaela was in a relationship with fellow ballet dancer Skyler Maxey-Wert. She also wrote about him in her book.
Michaela's adoptive father, Charles DePrince, passed away in June 2020. Michaela could not travel from Amsterdam to be with her family. This was due to COVID-19 travel rules. It was also made harder by the George Floyd protests. In September 2020, she took time off to deal with her mental health.
Michaela passed away at the age of 29. Her death was announced on September 13, 2024, on her Instagram page.
Images for kids
-
DePrince in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Michaela DePrince para niños
