Michaela deprince

Michaela DePrince, a trailblazing ballerina and advocate for inclusivity in ballet, passed away at 29. Her death was announced on her Instagram, though the cause remains unknown. Born Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone, she overcame the trauma of losing her parents in the civil war and suffering abuse in an orphanage due to her vitiligo. DePrince found hope through ballet and became an inspiration to many, dedicating her career to increasing representation of Black dancers. Her family requested donations to War Child, an organization close to her heart, in her memory.

A representative for Michaela Mabinty DePrince, a trailblazer and inspiration to many in the ballet industry, revealed her passing on Friday on her Instagram profile. She was 29 years old. The cause of death is yet unknown.

Ballet dancer Michaela DePrince . michaela deprince, a trailblazing ballerina, passes away at age 29

The caption read, “Her life was one distinguished by grace, purpose, and strength.” “We will always be inspired by her steadfast dedication to her work, her humanitarian endeavors, and her bravery in conquering unfathomable obstacles. For many, she served as a ray of hope, demonstrating that even in the most difficult circumstances, brilliance and beauty can emerge from the most desolate environments.”

“I really am in a condition of profound anguish and shock. “My lovely sister is no longer with us,” stated Mia DePrince. “I used to make up my own musical theater plays and act them out with Michaela (Mabinty), from the very beginning of our journey back in Africa, when we were sharing a mat in the orphanage. We made the ballets ourselves. Our parents instantly poured into our dreams once we were adopted, creating the stunning, elegantly strong dancer that so many of you know her as today. She served as an example.

Michaela deprince Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone, DePrince lost both of her parents in the civil war,

and at the age of three, she was placed in an orphanage. She claimed in 2012 to the Associated Press that she was malnourished and subjected to abuse at the orphanage.

“I lived at the orphanage for approximately a year after losing both of my parents, and I was not treated very well because I had vitiligo,” she stated at the time. “We were given numbers, and since I was number 27, which was the least preferred, I received the least amount of food, clothing, and other items.”

Michaela deprince At the Boston Ballet, DePrince told reporters about how black dancers who came before her helped motivate her despite experiencing racism and xenophobia.

“I’m very lucky,” DePrince said at the time. “There was Lauren Anderson—I had somebody to look up to. The Houston Ballet. Heidi Cruz, the Pennsylvania Ballet when I was younger. There’s also Misty Copeland. There’s not a lot of us. But what I always try to think about, and what my passion is, is spreading more poppies in a field of daffodils, so to have more black and brown dancers.”

Michaela deprince Despite her achievements, DePrince never forgot her early years. She turned into a humanitarian and stated throughout her career that she wanted to establish an arts and dance school in Sierra Leone.

“That would be amazing—I’d like to use the money we earn from this book [a memoir, Hope in a Ballet Shoe] to open the school,” DePrince told the Guardian in 2015. “It’ll have to be when I retire from dancing. The arts can change you as a person. Dancing helped me share my emotions and connect to my family; it helped me feel like I was special and not the ‘devil’s child’. Those kids won’t have the same opportunities I had, and I don’t think they deserve that.”

She spent much of her career advocating for and promoting the inclusion of black dancers in ballet.

“There are practically no Black people in ballet, so I need to speak out,” she told the Guardian.

Michaela deprince In lieu of flowers, DePrince’s family has asked people to donate to War Child, an organization DePrince supported.

They said, “Your gifts will directly help other children who grew up in an environment of armed war. This work meant the world to her.” “I am grateful.”