Michaela DePrince: The death that left the ballet world in mourning

On September 10th, 2024, Michaela Mabinty DePrince passed away at the age of just 29. The death of one of the world's most inspiring ballet dancers left the ballet world in tears.

News of her death came as a shock to many, with the Guardian reporting it was an announcement on DePrince's Instagram page that alerted fans of her passing.

The statement read, “Her life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength,” continuing, “Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us.”

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Sadly enough, Elaine DePrince, Michaela's adoptive mother, “died less than 24 hours later of an unrelated illness,” per The Guardian.

Foto: Michaela DePrince / Facebook

In a statement, family spokesperson Jess Volinski said Elaine passed away during “a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery”.

Image credit: Ian Taylor / Unsplash

“The last few days have been even more difficult than most people realize because the family has also been dealing with the death of Michaela’s adoptive mother Elaine DePrince,” Volinski added at the time.

DePrince’s story is one of perseverance and struggle, having fled Sierra Leone as a four-year-old after her parents were killed during the country’s civil way. After arriving in America, DePrince was adopted by Elaine and Charles, per Marca.

As her death announcement said, “She stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places.”

Michaela’s sister, Mia, released a statement saying, “I am truly in a state of shock and deep sadness. My beautiful sister is no longer here,” per The Guardian. Her statement continued, “From the very beginning of our story back in Africa, sleeping on a shared mat in the orphanage, Michaela (Mabinty) and I used to make up our own musical theater plays and act them out.”

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Mia continued by praising her adopted parents and her sister, “When we got adopted, our parents quickly poured into our dreams and arose the beautiful, gracefully strong ballerina that so many of you knew her as today. She was an inspiration.”

The DePrinace sisters underwent severe hardship following the death of their parents, with Michaela telling the Associated Press, “I lost both my parents, so I was there [the orphanage] for about a year and I wasn’t treated very well because I had vitiligo. I got the least amount of food, the least amount of clothes and whatnot.”

Despite DePrince’s obvious talents as a ballerina, she was told aged eight, “the US was not ready for a Black girl ballerina,” and, “When she was nine, a teacher told her mother that Black girls were not worth investing money in,” per The Guardian.

Despite her harrowing childhood and the racism stacked against her, DePrince succeeded anyway, attending the prestigious Rock School for Dance Education before winning a scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet.

For many, ballet is not a part of their regular media consumption, but such was DePrince’s talent and ability, that she was able to crack the mainstream, featuring in the music video for Beyonce’s Lemonade.

Having become successful herself, DePrince chose to advocate for those in a similar position to her own, telling The Guardian, “There are practically no Black people in ballet, so I need to speak out.”

The DePrince family has reportedly requested those who want to honour Michaela to donate to the War Child charity, saying, “This work meant the world to her, and your donations will directly help other children who grew up in an environment of armed conflict.” So far, there has been no confirmed cause of death.

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