Ballerina Who Danced in Beyonce Video Dies at 29

No word yet on cause of death for Michaela DePrince, who came to US as Sierra Leone orphan
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 14, 2024 11:00 AM CDT
Ballerina Who Danced in Beyonce Video Dies at 29
This July 9, 2012, photo shows dancer Michaela DePrince in Johannesburg.   (AP Photo Denis Farrell)

An accomplished ballerina whose life began in difficult circumstances in Africa, and who ended up starring in one of Beyonce's music videos, has died at the age of 29, reports USA Today. The family of Michaela Mabinty DePrince posted the news Friday on Facebook, noting their "profound sadness" and calling DePrince "an unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story."

  • Early life: CNN reports that DePrince was born in wartorn Sierra Leone in 1995 and sent to live in an orphanage—where she was called "the devil's child" due to her vitiligo skin condition—after her father was murdered by rebels and her mother succumbed to starvation. She was eventually adopted by a family in New Jersey and grew up in a family of 10 siblings, most of whom were adopted, per Glamour.

  • Accomplishments: DePrince began taking dance classes and competing, and by age 14, she'd nabbed a scholarship to the elite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City, which offered a ballerina training program. She was one of the stars of 2011's First Position, a documentary about a half dozen young dancers, and also authored two books about her life: Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina and Ballerina Dreams.
  • Beyonce video: DePrince was selected by Bey herself to star in the music video for "Freedom," off of Beyonce's 2016 Lemonade album. "She said I looked like I was a creature from another planet," DePrince told the Wall Street Journal in 2016 of meeting the singer. "She walked up to me and said, 'It's such an honor to have you here.'"
  • Note from her sister: DePrince's sister Mia, also born in Sierra Leone and adopted by the same family, added her own tribute to DePrince in the family's Facebook post: "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. ... She was an inspiration." Mia ended her message with: "I love you, my beautiful Butterfly."
  • Her life in photos: The Guardian offers a pictorial glimpse into DePrince's life.
(More ballerina stories.)

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