The ballet world is mourning the death of Dancing with the Stars’ Michaela Mabinty DePrince, an inspirational ballerina who beat staggering odds to become one of the world’s most famous dancers.
Michaela, an orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone, was a dancer with the Boston Ballet who gained widespread notoriety after starring in the 2011 documentary First Position. She died September 10 at only 29.
Adding to the family’s tragic loss, Michaela’s adoptive mom – who rescued Michaela from the filthy shelter where she was told she was “too ugly” to find a family – died only 24 hours later.
After her father was brutally killed in war-torn Sierra Leone and her mother died from fever, four-year-old Michaela Mabinty DePrince was abandoned by her uncle in a shelter where staff every day tried to break her spirit.
Known then as “Number 27” a young Michaela had little hope of finding a family as she had vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigmentation.
The young girl, called “the devil child” because of her patchy skin, was told repeatedly that she was too ugly to be picked.
“We were all ranked from the most favored to the least, and I was at the very bottom for being rebellious and having a skin condition called vitiligo, which produces white freckles on my neck and chest,” Michaela said, adding she slept on a grass sleeping mat with “Number 26.”
Aside from the vomit-stained nightgown she was wearing, all she had was a magazine, which according to Glamour had (literally) blown onto her face. And on the cover was a ballerina en pointe – a dancer supporting all her body weight on the tips of her toes.
“The dancer looked beautiful and happy, that’s what caught my eye,” Michaela tells Glamour. “I wanted to be happy.”
And the crumpled old photo of the ballerina was the first thing she handed Elaine DePrince, who took her to her new home in New Jersey.
“There was so much love right away,” said Michaela, who over the next two decades would be the prima ballerina on the cover of magazines. “I had never been surrounded by something like that.”
‘My life is proof’
Michaela’s passion for dancing was ignited at a young age, and she pursued her dreams with remarkable dedication.
In 2011, Michaela became one of the stars of First Position, a documentary that followed six gifted dancers leading up to the competition for a place in the prestigious American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet (JKO)
She not only earned a spot but was also awarded a scholarship to study at JKO.
The same year the award-winning documentary was released, Michaela also appeared on Dancing with the Stars.
“My life is proof that no matter what situation you’re in, as long as you have a supportive family, you can achieve anything,” Michaela said.
In 2012, the talented ballerina joined the renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she continued to shine as a rising star. Her exceptional talent and grace later led her to the Dutch National Ballet, where the War Child Ambassador further established herself as a formidable presence in the ballet world.
While she was living in Amsterdam and training for The Nutcracker, she received a call, inviting her to travel to New Orleans and dance in Beyonce’s hour-long video, Lemonade, which was released in 2016.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal of meeting the pop sensation, Michaela said, “She walked up to me and said, ‘It’s such an honor to have you here.’ I was really cheesy and said, ‘The honor is mine.’ I was on cloud nine.”
‘Beacon of hope’
On September 10, her family released a heartbreaking message about the principal soloist with the Boston Ballet.
“Rest in Power,” the post starts about the dancer who died on September 10. “With pain in our hearts, we share the loss of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched countless hearts and whose spirit inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and beyond.”
The Facebook post describes Michaela as an inspiration who “stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places.”
The cause of her death has not yet been released.
Mom ‘spared the pain’
Only 24 hours after Michaela’s sudden death, her doting adoptive mom Elaine DePrince died on September 11 “during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery.”
A family statement on Facebook explains that at the time of Elaine’s death, she was unaware that her daughter had died.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated. The only way we can make sense of the senseless is that Elaine, who had already lost three children many years ago, was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child.” The message continues, “What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful. Grieving two family members who died within a 24-hour period is tragic and devastating. We continue to ask for privacy…”
Rest in peace Michaela and Elaine. Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can all send a lot of love to the family and friends of this mother-daughter duo.
A Woman Who Became A “Vampire” By Covering Entire Body In Tattoos Issues Warning
The woman who owns the Guinness World Record for having the most body modifications has issued a strong caution to those who are copying her.
Due of her peculiar appearance, Maria José Cristerna has earned the nickname “real-life vampire.” She has spent much of her life accumulating tattoos. At the age of fourteen, she got her first tattoo.
The Mexican woman has solidified her position as the most changed woman in the Guinness World Records for 2022 with a total of 50 bodily alterations.
Cristerna has undergone a number of strange physical changes, including several piercings, implants in her arms and forehead, a split tongue, and an incredible array of tattoos that nearly completely cover her body, including her eyeballs.
Speaking with Guinness World Records, Cristerna said that her father wasn’t initially in favor of the plan. However, he then accompanied me to the tattoo parlor where I got my first ever tattoo.
She declared, “Art runs through my veins,” underscoring her profound commitment to the arts. I have loved art since I was a small child, and I can now express it with my body.She ascribes her transformations to a ten-year abusive and oppressive marriage and works to support other women who have suffered similar emotional, mental, and physical violence.Love for oneself is the only path out of abuse and violence. “We came here to be happy,” she declared.
Her physical transformations serve as symbols of her strength, perseverance, and freedom from her past.
Every change has a certain significance, but Cristerna discovered that the most painful ones were the pigmentation in her eyes and the implants put in her arms.
Cristerna, who is celebrating her Guinness World Records title, is unwavering in her commitment to expressing herself.
“Your ambitions are always within your reach. There are no restrictions. If you put your mind to something, nothing is impossible, the woman proclaimed.
Her goal is to get tattoos covering every inch of her body, with the confident declaration, “I don’t care what people think about me.” I ranked myself highest. The key thing is that I am aware of who I am.
Cristerna did, however, offer a word of caution to young people considering making equally extreme changes: “It is irreversible, so you have to think it through very carefully.”
She went on, “I adore how I look, but you have to realize that there are young kids that are really accepting of piercings, tattoos, and all of that. We can eventually reach a point where it no longer fulfills our desires and we might grow tired of it since it has become trendy.
Therefore, in order to love it and be able to defend it for the rest of your life, you have to give it a lot of thought.
Even though the “Vampire Woman,” who wrote earlier this week about getting a new tattoo, advised others not to get tattoos until they were completely confident about them, she is still getting tattooed.
She shared a photo of her most recent makeover, which included a tattoo artist working on her back, on Instagram. An accompanying caption reads, “My brother’s tiger Rene Camarena Laus Satanus deserves one more stripe.”
We can’t believe what we see when we see her pre-ink appearance!
Leave a Reply