Ballerina Michaela DePrince Passes Away at 29
“She was an inspiration,” she continued. “Whether she was leaping across the stage or traveling to third-world countries to teach dance to orphans and children, she was determined to pursue her dreams in the arts and dance. Michaela (Mabinty) has left her mark on the world’s stages. She will be deeply missed. I love you, my beautiful Butterfly.”
DePrince openly discussed the challenges of her early life in an orphanage, revealing that she stumbled upon a discarded magazine that sparked her passion for ballet and paved the way for her career as a professional ballerina.
“There was a lady on it,” she recalled to the BBC in 2012, “she was on her tippy-toes, in this pink, beautiful tutu. I had never seen anything like this—a costume that stood out with glitter, exuding beauty. I could see the beauty, hope, and love that I lacked in that person.”
Reflecting on that moment, she declared, “‘Wow! This is what I want to be.'”