(ANSA) – NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 14 – Dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who came to the United States from an orphanage in Sierra Leone and performed on the stages of stars like Beyoncé, has died at the age of 29. The cause of death was not disclosed. “Michaela was an unforgettable inspiration to all who knew her or who knew her story,” her family said. After graduating from high school and attending ballet school, DePrince became a principal dancer at the Harlem Theater. She then danced in Holland at the Dutch National Ballet. In 2021, she joined the Boston Ballet. DePrince told her story in her memoir ‘Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina’. “I lost both my parents and I was in the orphanage for a year,” she told The Associated Press in an interview in 2021, “and I wasn’t treated well because I had vitiligo,” a skin disorder for which she was called “the devil’s daughter.” DePrince danced in the video for “Freedom,” the famous song by Beyoncé, who personally chose her for the role. (ANSA).
2024-09-14 23:59:31