Death of world renowned ballerina shocks many in the dance community
Dancers in Ventura were inspired by DePrince’s story and shocked by her death at the young age of 29. Michaela DePrince was born in 1995 in Sierra Leone, West Africa, during the country’s civil war. DePrince was an orphan when she was inspired to dance after finding a magazine cover of a ballerina on the street. After she was adopted by American parents at the age of four, she pursued her dream and later became a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet and Boston Ballet. DePrince sadly died Sept. 10, 2024.
A student on the VHS dance team, Tasi Lefler ‘26 said, “I thought she was so talented and beautiful. Her skill was amazing and her jumps were to die for. It’s such a shame she passed. She was so young too.”
Ballet student in Ventura, Charlotte Cornes ‘27 said, “I found her such an inspiration to the ballet world. That she could have such a hard childhood and still have it in her to make a career out of the thing she enjoyed most, because not everyone can do that, and it’s so incredibly inspiring that even with a backstory like that, she still made it to the ballet world. By that she told people that anything is possible even if you have a bad life. It shows not to give up and try harder. It’s so sad, for her family and for her peers and the people she inspired with her passing. And it’s also so sad to hear that her adoptive mother also passed a day after Michaela’s passing.”
VHS Dance coach Taylor Moore said, “Michaela DePrince was one of the most beautiful ballet dancers that we know of today and she’s also really special because she was so young, and she also paved the way for a lot of African American dancers, and being able to represent her culture and represent her heritage. Her and Misty Copeland are like one of the two most profound prima African American ballet dancers that are of our time. I had a lot of my friends that I went to college with immediately text me the morning that the news broke. I just think it’s horrible that we lost someone who is of such significance in the dance world, and especially at such a young age.”
On their Instagram, The Rock School for Dance Education said, “The Rock School for Dance Education is heartbroken at the news of the passing of our alumna Michaela Mabinty DePrince, a shining star in the world of ballet. Her grace, strength, and spirit inspired many, both on and off the stage. We honor her extraordinary legacy and offer our deepest condolences to her family, loved ones, and all whose lives she touched.”
Although the cause for her death is unannounced, the most important thing to remember is that DePrince will always be a role model to all dancers across the world. DePrince constantly spoke out about discrimination of color in ballet companies and wrote a memoir of her life called Taking Flight. She devoted her life to inspiring dancers and donating to organizations for children, so that they would believe that they too can dance no matter who they are. For an article in 2017 DePrince said, “Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils.” DePrince was never afraid to be herself and neither should anyone else.
