ballerina

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Ballerina Hears Her Fate in 'Black Swan' Murder Case


'Black Swan'
Trial Ends With
20-Year Sentence
UPDATED
Dec 3, 2024 2:44 PM CST

'Black Swan' Trial Ends With 20-Year Sentence

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield was convicted in the shooting death of her estranged husband

(Newser) - A woman convicted of killing her estranged husband in a high-profile Florida murder in 2020 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, reports NBC News . Ashley Benefield, a former ballerina, faced a maximum sentence of 30 years after her manslaughter conviction. She claimed it was self-defense.

Day After Ballerina Dies at 29, Her Mom Also Dies

Elaine DePrince had previously lost 3 sons to AIDS after tainted blood transfusions

(Newser) - The family of Michaela DePrince, the war orphan turned trailblazing ballerina who died suddenly at age 29 Friday , is doubly grieving—because DePrince's mother, Elaine DePrince, died the very next day. The elder DePrince did not know about her daughter's death the day prior, a family spokesperson writes...

Ballerina Who Danced in Beyonce Video Dies at 29
Ballerina Who
Danced in
Beyonce Video
Dies at 29
OBITUARY
Sep 14, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

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

(Newser) - 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"...

Russia Sentences US Citizen to 12 Years for $52 Donation

Ksenia Karelina was charged with treason over donation to pro-Ukrainian charity

(Newser) - Another US citizen has received a long sentence from a Russian court. Dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years on Tuesday on a treason charge connected to a donation of around $52 she made to a US charity providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2022. Russian prosecutors...

353 Ballerinas Break a Record at the Plaza Hotel

It's the most dancing on pointe in one place

(Newser) - Hundreds of young dancers in white tutus and tightly coiffed hair gathered in New York's Plaza Hotel on Wednesday to break the world record for dancing on pointe in one place, the AP reports. The spectacle was organized by Youth America Grand Prix, a ballet scholarship program that is...

Grim End to Stolen Statue of Famed Native American

Statue of ballerina Marjorie Tallchief appears to have been cut down, sold for scrap for $266

(Newser) - A bronze statue of Native American ballerina Marjorie Tallchief, stolen last week from the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, appears to have been cut into pieces and sold as scrap metal. Pieces of the statue—one of five outdoor statues depicting famous Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma known as the...

Touching Dance to Swan Lake Also Comes With a Mystery

Ballerina with Alzheimer's puts in a moving performance, but her identity is puzzling

(Newser) - She was on death's doorstep. And still she danced. A moving video shared by the Asociacion Musica para Despertar, a Spanish organization that supports music therapy for those afflicted by memory loss, claims to show a former prima ballerina with Alzheimer's dancing a routine to Tchaikovsky's Swan ...

Ex-Ballerina's Bitter Custody Battle Turns Deadly

Ashley Benefield, 28, is accused of murdering estranged husband Doug Benefield, 58

(Newser) - A former professional dancer is accused of fatally shooting her estranged husband after she claimed a domestic violence incident forced her to act in self-defense. A release from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office says the incident took place Sept. 27 in Central Park, Fla., where Ashley Benefield, 28—who...

At Acid Attack's Center: This Ballerina?

Anzhelina Vorontsova once a rising star under Sergei Filin

(Newser) - A young, ambitious ballerina appears to be at the center of the January acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, reports the New York Times . Anzhelina Vorontsova, described by the paper as a "luminous blonde," made a splash when she was discovered at 16. Filin brought...

Ballerina to New York Times: I Am Not Fat

Blogosphere dumps on 'vicious' reviewer

(Newser) - A New York Nutcracker ballerina is ready to stuff a tray of Christmas cookies down the throat of one rude New York Times reviewer who thinks she's tutu chubby to be on stage. Lincoln Center's Sugarplum fairy Jenifer Ringer, 37, has eaten "one too many sugar plums," snarkily...

Black Swan Inspires Pro-Anorexia Sites

Natalie Portman blasts pressure on dancers to be thin

(Newser) - While the ballerina movie Black Swan is winning rave reviews for actress Natalie Portman it's also providing deadly inspiration for dangerous "pro-anorexia" web sites. The film underscores the grueling life of a ballerina, complete with bitter rivalries, bone-crunching pain, anorexia and bulimia, causing one blogger to call it "...

Naomi Cries, Explains Rage Issues to Oprah
 Naomi Cries, 
 Explains Rage 
 Issues to Oprah 
sad supermodels
May 4, 2010 8:06 AM CDT

Naomi Cries, Explains Rage Issues to Oprah

It all goes back to ballet...

(Newser) - Poor, poor Naomi Campbell was too tall to be a ballerina, and the ensuing anguish she went through probably has a lot to do with why she now punches cameras and throws cell phones at people. The supermodel actually broke down in tears yesterday on Oprah while talking about her...

'Angry, Aggressive' Lesbian Sex on Tap for Portman

(Newser) - After one look at the script for Natalie Portman’s next project, Black Swan “is already on the must-see list of 2010,” Carson Reeves blogs for ScriptShadow. Why? “Ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex” with fellow hottie Mila Kunis, that’s why. Darren Aronofsky, of The Wrestler, directs,...

Look Out, Susan Boyle: Talent Judges Wowed by 10-Year-Old

Kid's surprising, 'lovely' voice floors audience

(Newser) - Simon Cowell looked ready to buzz 10-year-old Hollie Steel off the stage when the Britain's Got Talent contestant began flitting about in a tutu, but then Steel opened her mouth. The tiny singer floored the judges with an "absolutely beautiful" rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night,...

14 Stories