Michaela DePrince

Michaela DePrince's story stops me cold every time. Born amid civil war in Sierra Leone, orphaned, and labeled a cursed child, she willed her way to the Boston Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Dutch National Ballet. What moves me is not just the technical brilliance but the sheer refusal to accept the fate she was handed. Her death at twenty-nine in 2024 felt cruelly early, yet she had already become a beacon for countless young dancers who never saw themselves on those stages. I think she rewrote what was possible, and that legacy outlives her.

Name (English)

Michaela DePrince

Name (Japanese)

ミケーラ・デプリンス

Reading

みけーら・でぷりんす

Born

January 6, 1995 – September 10, 2024

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Boar

Origin

Kenema, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

Occupation

ballet dancer / autobiographer / actor / dancer

High school

Keystone National High School

Awards & achievements

• 2017 OkayAfrica 100 Women

• Official sitehttps://michaeladeprince.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/michaeladeprince/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaela%20DePrince
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9F%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BB%E3%83%87%E3%83%97%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6835591

Tags

• Eastern Province
• ballet dancer
• autobiographer
• actor

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.