Even if you don’t realize it, you’ve probably seen ballet dancer Michaela DePrince in the course of your daily life. As an ambassador for Jockey as well recently appearing in a Chase Bank advertisement, and in Beyoncé’s Lemonade video, DePrince is beginning to gain some recognition outside of the ballet world in the US. However, most people do not know Michaela DePrince’s heartbreaking and inspirational story.
Born in Sierra Leone during the Civil War, DePrince (originally named Mabinty Bangura) was orphaned at three after her father was killed by rebels and her mother died of starvation trying to feed her child. She was then brought to an orphanage by her uncle. At the orphanage, she was called “The Devil’s Child” by the women who cared for the children due to a skin condition known as vitiligo, which causes patches of unpigmented skin. As a result of her condition, DePrince received the smallest portions of food and the worst clothing in the orphanage and was often referred to as “Number 27”, which referenced her rank of priority within the orphanage.
Young DePrince could not see a way to be happy in a world that was filled with cruelty, until one day, a passing wind blew a magazine into the orphanage yard. The magazine was a 1979 issue of “Dance Magazine” featuring Magali Messac who would later dance with the Dutch National Ballet (the same company that Michaela now dances for).
This image ignited DePrince’s lifelong passion for ballet and her incredible desire to become a ballet dancer. “I knew I wanted to be this person. It was everything about that image – her smile and grace, the beautiful costume, and it was mesmerising to see someone standing on their toes. I didn’t know she was a dancer, I didn’t know what dancing was, but she gave me hope” (The Daily Mail).
Beyond her dreams of one day becoming like the ballet dancer on the magazine, her only consolation was her mat-mate and best friend named Mabinty Suma, and when it became known that Mabinty Suma was to be adopted by an American family, the two dreamed that they would be adopted together. Amazingly, their dreams actually came true. Their mother Elaine DePrince originally sought to adopt a child from a war-torn country in Africa in honor of one of her adopted sons who died from AIDS contracted from using infected blood to treat his hemophilia. He had once dreamed of becoming a doctor and helping children in Africa, and had always encouraged his parents to adopt from a war-torn region.
The adoption agency she was working with often got confused between the two girls who shared the same first name. During the course of the adoption, the agency later revealed that the second Mabinty (later Michaela) would likely never be adopted because of her skin condition, something which had caused 12 different families to reject her. Upon hearing this, Elaine DePrince immediately called her husband, and requested that they adopt both children. Both girls were adopted by the DePrinces and their names were changed to Michaela and Mia.
I first heard of Michaela DePrince when the 2011 documentary entitled “First Position” came out. The documentary follows six young ballet students as they prepare for a ballet competition called the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and compete for scholarships for prestigious schools and contracts with companies. Michaela was one of the dancers featured.
The documentary did a good job showing that Michaela’s rise in ballet was not easy. The ballet world is slow to change, and there were many people who believed that DePrince could not be a ballet dancer due to the color of her skin. In fact, when she was young, one dance teacher went as far as to tell her mother that it wasn’t “worth investing” in a black ballerina. This racist bias exists as both fully stated as well as an undertone, something that is well illustrated by Elaine DePrince: “These little undergarments they wear under their tutus, they don’t come in dark brown. I dye all these things for a brown girl, because they’re all what we call ‘flesh color.’ Well, white flesh color” (NPR). Despite those who thought she couldn’t become a ballet dancer, Michaela has proved them completely wrong and trained at the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School (the school associated with the American Ballet Theater) after First Position, before going on to be the youngest dancer at the Dance Theater of Harlem, before moving onto the Dutch National Ballet, where she is currently a soloist.
Beyond her work as an artist, Michaela DePrince has been an Ambassador for War Child Netherlands since 2016 and utilizes her platform as a dancer to help disadvantaged children around the world: “My goal is to help war children all over the world. I know from firsthand experience what war does to children. I would like to show them that they are not alone. Luckily I have had a lot of chances in my life. Therefore, I am really grateful. Now I would like to help by giving something back” (War Child). She has also published a memoir entitled “Taking Flight” as well as a couple of children’s books which encourage children to both dream as well as work for their dreams.
As Michaela DePrince has herself stated, her story is not a fairy tale. Her story is one of unbelievable tragedy and loss as well as passion, hard work, and achievement. Her story is one that is truly inspiring, yet deeply telling of the way the children are treated. There are so many children living in poverty who will never have the opportunity to reach their full potential, people like Michaela DePrince (and you!) who have the power to change the world.