Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the ballerina born during a civil war in Sierra Leone who performed in Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u2018Lemonade\u2019 visual album, has died aged 29, according to an announcement posted to her official Instagram page. <\/p>\n
\u201cHer life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us,\u201d the post read. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places.\u201d <\/p>\n
No cause of death has been given. Her sister Mia said she was in a \u201cshock and deep sadness\u201d. <\/p>\n
DePrince made history as the youngest principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and went on to dance with the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet, where she was a second soloist. <\/p>\n
Her talent was brought to a wider audience with a cameo in \u2018Lemonade\u2019, the video that accompanied Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s album of the same name. DePrince told the WSJ she thought it was a joke when she heard the singer wanted her for the video, who told DePrince in person it was an \u2018honor\u2019 to have her star. <\/p>\n
Born during Sierra Leone\u2019s brutal war and sent to live in an orphanage after both of her birth parents died \u2013 her father was killed by rebels and her mother starved to death \u2013 DePrince had an early life marked by the horrors of war. <\/p>\n
At the orphanage, she was called \u201cthe devil\u2019s child\u201d and was ill-treated by orphanage carers because she had vitiligo \u2013 a skin condition that causes blotches of lightening skin. She witnessed one of her teachers be murdered by rebels and was stabbed by a little boy while trying to save her. <\/p>\n
Called Mabinty Bangura when she was born, DePrince first saw a ballerina on the cover of a magazine outside the orphanage when she was just three years old. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was just so fascinated by this person, by how beautiful she was, how she was wearing such a beautiful costume,\u201d said DePrince. Though she had no idea what ballet was, she kept the magazine cover and dreamt of one day becoming as happy as the dancer in the photo. <\/p>\n
Shortly after, DePrince was adopted by a couple from New Jersey and began a new life in the United States. Her family nurtured her love for ballet and enrolled her in classes. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom 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. We created our own ballets,\u201d wrote her sister Mia, who was also born in Sierra Leone and adopted by the same family, in a statement. <\/p>\n
DePrince went on to earn a full scholarship to the American Ballet Theater\u2019s summer intensive at the age of 13 and earned another scholarship in the youth America Grand Prix, the biggest ballet competition in the world. <\/p>\n
It was not a journey without prejudice. As a Black girl in the predominantly white preserve of ballet, she almost quit at the age of 10 when a teacher said she did not want to put effort and money into Black dancers. <\/p>\n
\u201cDespite being told the \u2018world wasn\u2019t ready for black ballerinas\u2019 or that \u2018black ballerinas weren\u2019t worth investing in,\u2019 she remained determined, focused, and began making big strides,\u201d wrote dancer Misty Copeland in a tribute posted to social media. \u201cMichaela had so much more to give,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
In 2014, DePrince co-authored a memoir about her life with her adoptive mother called \u2018Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina\u2019 and went on to become an ambassador for War Child Holland, promoting the well-being and mental health of children living in war zones. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis work meant the world to her,\u201d wrote her family in their statement, asking that people donate to the organization in her memory. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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