- Original name:
- Mabinty Bangura
- Born:
- January 6, 1995, Kenema district, Sierra Leone
- Died:
- September 10, 2024, New York City, New York, U.S. (aged 29)
Michaela DePrince
-
Who is Michaela DePrince?
Michaela DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura, January 6, 1995–September 10, 2024) was a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer celebrated for her technical skill and strong will. During Sierra Leone’s civil war, she was orphaned and discriminated against due to vitiligo. She found a photo of a ballerina in a magazine and dreamed of becoming a dancer.
Adopted in 1999 by an American family, she began ballet lessons and later received a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City in 2010. DePrince danced with the Dutch National Ballet and joined the Boston Ballet as a second soloist in 2021. She advocated for more opportunities for Black women in ballet and was an ambassador for War Child Holland, visiting refugee settlements.
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Where was Michaela DePrince born?
Michaela DePrince, born Mabinty Bangura, was born in the Kenema district of Sierra Leone on January 6, 1995. During Sierra Leone's civil war, she tragically lost both her parents and was discriminated against in an orphanage due to her vitiligo. In 1999, she was adopted by an American family and began taking ballet lessons. DePrince received a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City in 2010. She later joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem before becoming a member of the Dutch National Ballet in 2013. In 2021, DePrince joined the Boston Ballet as a second soloist.
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What style of dance is Michaela DePrince known for?
Michaela DePrince was a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical skills and strong spirit. After being adopted by an American family in 1999, she began ballet lessons and, in 2010, secured a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre.
DePrince joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York before becoming a member of the corps de ballet of the Dutch National Ballet in 2013. While advancing at the Dutch National Ballet, she advocated for more opportunities for Black women in ballet. In 2021, DePrince became a second soloist with the Boston Ballet.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Michaela DePrince become a professional dancer?
Michaela DePrince's path to professional ballet began in Sierra Leone, where she was born Mabinty Bangura. After losing both parents during the civil war, she was discriminated against in an orphanage for having vitiligo. DePrince found inspiration in a magazine featuring a ballerina and, after being adopted by an American family in 1999, she started ballet lessons.
She honed her skills at the Rock School for Dance Education and, with a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in 2010, she performed with ABT Studio Company. DePrince then joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2012 and later the Dutch National Ballet in 2013, advocating for opportunities for Black women in ballet. In 2021, she became a second soloist with the Boston Ballet.
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What challenges did Michaela DePrince face in her dance career?
Michaela DePrince faced significant challenges in her dance career. Born Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone, she lost her parents during the country’s civil war and was discriminated against in an orphanage due to her vitiligo. After being adopted in 1999, she began ballet lessons and later advocated for more opportunities for Black women in ballet. As the only dancer of African origin at the Dutch National Ballet, she used her growing public profile to raise awareness. DePrince became an ambassador for War Child Holland, visiting refugee settlements and using her platform to advocate for children's rights.
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How has Michaela DePrince inspired others in the world of dance?
Michaela DePrince, born in Sierra Leone, overcame a challenging childhood marked by the loss of her parents during the country’s civil war and discrimination in an orphanage. Inspired by a magazine cover featuring a ballerina, she began ballet lessons after being adopted by an American family.
DePrince's determination led her to a full scholarship at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre and later, the Dutch National Ballet. While advancing through the ranks, she became an advocate for providing more opportunities for Black women in ballet. Her memoir, Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina, raised awareness about this issue. DePrince is also an ambassador for War Child Holland, visiting refugee settlements and using her platform to inspire and support others.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Michaela DePrince (born January 6, 1995, Kenema district, Sierra Leone—died September 10, 2024, New York City, New York, U.S.) was a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical prowess and tenacious spirit.
Early life and adoption
DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura during Sierra Leone’s prolonged civil war and spent her early years in that country. Rebel forces killed her father, and her mother died soon after of starvation. An uncle deposited her at an orphanage, where she was mistreated because she had vitiligo—a medical disorder of skin pigmentation that caused the appearance of white patches on her neck and chest. She also witnessed the mutilation of a pregnant teacher by rebels before her orphanage relocated to a refugee camp in Guinea. Amid the bleak conditions, she found a glossy magazine cover that featured a ballerina. Though she had no knowledge of ballet, she treasured the photo and aspired to become a dancer. In 1999 American couple Elaine and Charles DePrince adopted her along with another girl, her friend Mia. The girls were raised in New Jersey with the DePrinces’ nine other natural and adopted children.
Ballet career
DePrince began taking ballet lessons soon after arriving in the United States. At age five she enrolled in the Rock School for Dance Education (RSDE) in Philadelphia. After DePrince studied there for six years, the family moved to Vermont, but the next year, at age 13, she resumed her training at RSDE as a boarder. In 2010 she competed in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) for the fourth time, winning a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (JKOS) at American Ballet Theatre (ABT), New York City. While at JKOS, DePrince performed with ABT Studio Company and toured with the Albany Berkshire Ballet. She was also one of six youths profiled in American filmmaker Bess Kargman’s First Position (2011).
In 2012 and 2013 DePrince was a guest artist with Johannesburg’s South African Mzansi Ballet. In 2012 she also performed on the television program Dancing with the Stars. At age 17 DePrince joined New York City’s Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), but she left in 2013 for the Dutch National Ballet (DNB). The following year she was promoted from the junior to the main company, where she was the only dancer of African origin among DNB’s 30 nationalities. In 2015 DePrince began to be cast in solo roles. Her public profile grew following the publication of her memoir, Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina (2014; with Elaine DePrince), which was sold internationally under the title Hope in a Ballet Shoe. She used the attention to raise awareness about the need for more opportunities for Black women in classical ballet.
In 2016 DePrince became an ambassador of War Child Holland, for which she visited refugee settlements in Uganda (2017) and Lebanon (2018). She also appeared in Beyoncé’s music video for Freedom (2016) and starred in Coppelia, a live-action and animated film adaptation of the 19th-century comic ballet. It debuted at the 2021 Cannes film festival. That same year DePrince joined the Boston Ballet as second soloist.
Death
DePrince died on September 10, 2024, at the age of 29. The following day her adoptive mother, who was unaware of her daughter’s death, also died.