In Memoriam Michaela DePrince

It is with great sadness and dismay that we received the news that Michaela DePrince has passed away at the age of 29. 

Michaela grew up in war-ravaged Sierra Leone. At a young age, she lost both her parents and was admitted to an orphanage. Her skin condition vitiligo meant that people there treated her as inferior. Her nickname in the orphanage was devil’s child. A story she chronicled in her autobiography: Taking flight: From war orphan to star ballerina . 

Michaela was adopted by the American DePrince family. Once in America, she followed her dream of becoming a ballet dancer, inspired by a photograph she once saw, still in Sierra Leone, of an American ballerina. This was not an easy path for Michaela; she was told several times that she did not have the right body type ánd skin colour to become a ballet dancer. 

Determined, she persevered and in 2012 came to Europe at the invitation of the Hague dance company De Dutch Don't Dance Division, to dance in one of their productions. This also introduced her to the Dutch National Ballet, and in August 2013 she joined the first batch of the Junior Company. In 2014, she made the switch to the ‘main company’ of Dutch National Ballet, where she rose to the rank of soloist in the following years.   

From a young age, her extraordinary life story combined with her dance career did not go unnoticed. Among other things, she featured in the film documentary First Position, danced in a video by Beyoncé and Madonna bought the film rights to her autobiography. She also starred in the film version of Coppelia, choreographed by Ted Brandsen.  

Motivated to help children from war zones, Michaela became an ambassador for War Child in 2016 and committed to helping children in many ways.  

In 2022, she left Amsterdam to continue her dance career with the US Boston Ballet.  

Michaela is taken from us far too soon. Our thoughts are with her loved ones and family.

Michaela DePrince 

‘Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils.’