Michaela DePrince

Remarkably, DePrince rose from her home Sierra Leone to become the youngest lead dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, garnering recognition as a teenage performer in the 2011 documentary "First Position."

Before joining the Boston Ballet, she continued to dance with the Dutch National Ballet in the Netherlands.

The exceptional ballerina performed in Beyoncé's musical film "Lemonade" (2016) and starred in the live-action/animated film "Coppelia" (2021).

Born Mabinty Bangura in Kenema, Sierra Leone, DePrince was adopted at the age of 4 by Cherry Hill, New Jersey residents Elaine and Charles DePrince, following the deaths of DePrince's parents during the Sierra Leone Civil War.

In the 2014 young adult novel "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina," which Elaine DePrinc and DePrince co-wrote, DePrince shared her tale.

“Because of her vitiligo, she was referred to as a "devil child" as a small child in Sierra Leone.

DePrince trained at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre in New York after winning the Youth American Grand Prix Scholarship.

“She was an inspiration,” DePrince’s sister said. “Whether she was leaping across the stage or getting on a plane and flying to third-world countries to provide orphans and children with dance classes, she was determined to conquer all her dreams in the arts and dance. Michaela (Mabinty) has left her footprints in the sand and on so many stages across the world. She will be truly missed.”

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