Michaela DePrince was a ballet dancer from Sierra Leone who performed with the Boston Ballet. She became well-known after appearing in the 2011 documentary First Position, which showed her and other young dancers preparing for a big Youth America Grand Prix competition. Michaela and her adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince, wrote a book in 2014 called Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina.
Michaela also danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, became the youngest dancer in their history, and was a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet. Between 2016 and 2024, she worked as a goodwill ambassador for War Child, a group based in Amsterdam. 1britannica
Michaela DePrince Biography
Michaela Mabinty DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura on January 6, 1995, in Kenema, Sierra Leone, and passed away in September 2024. Her age was 29 years old and she followed both the Jewish and Muslim faith. 2famousbirthdaysÂ
Michaela DePrince Parents & Family
Mabinty Bangura was born into a Muslim family in Sierra Leone. During the civil war, her uncle took her to an orphanage after both of her parents died—her father was killed, and her mother died of starvation.
Mabinty faced hunger and mistreatment at the orphanage and she was called a “devil’s child” because she had vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of lighter skin.
In 1999, when she was four years old, she was adopted by Elaine and Charles DePrince, a couple from New Jersey. The DePrinces had 11 children, 9 of whom were adopted, and they gave Mabinty her new name, Michaela. In June 2020, Michaela’s adoptive father, Charles DePrince, passed away. 3ghanacelebritiesÂ
Michaela DePrince Husband
Michaela was unmarried but in 2015, it was said that Michaela DePrince was in a relationship with ballet dancer Skyler Maxey-Wert, whom she mentioned in her book.
Michaela DePrince Education & Career Journey
While dancing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Michaela DePrince prayed at the Wailing Wall and visited the Dome of the Rock and the Dead Sea, wearing a hamsa for protection, a symbol important to both Jews and Muslims.
Michaela got featured on a magazine cover with a ballerina, which inspired her to pursue ballet. Then, she trained in ballet and competed at the Youth America Grand Prix. She studied at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia and took online high school classes, earning her diploma.
Michaela received a scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School for her performance at the Youth America Grand Prix. Despite facing racial discrimination, she continued her ballet journey. At eight years old, she was told she couldn’t perform a lead role in The Nutcracker because “America wasn’t ready for a Black ballerina.”
Michaela gained attention in the 2011 documentary First Position and performed on Dancing with the Stars. She made her European debut in Abdallah and the Gazelle of Basra and danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. In 2012, she graduated from the American Ballet Theatre’s school and joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem as its youngest member.
In 2013, Michaela joined the junior company of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam and was promoted several times, eventually becoming a soloist in 2016. She was the only African-origin dancer in the company at the time and performed in Beyoncé’s Lemonade.
MGM acquired the film rights to Michaela’s book Taking Flight, and Madonna was set to direct the movie about her life. In 2019, she raised over half a million dollars for War Child Holland through a gala event. She took a leave from the Dutch National Ballet in 2020 and started coaching with a faculty member from Juilliard.
In 2021, Michaela joined the Boston Ballet as a second soloist, drawn to the company’s diversity and repertoire. She also danced the lead role in Coppelia, a ballet film that mixes live dance with animation. 4wikipediaÂ
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