Michaela DePrince, the Sierra Leone-born ballerina who performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dutch National Ballet and Boston Ballet, died in New York City on 10 September 2024, aged 29. She also appeared in Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade, dancing her own choreography in the sequence accompanying “Freedom.”
What is known about her death
The Washington Post reported that DePrince died on 10 September 2024 in New York City at age 29. Her death was announced publicly on 13 September in a statement posted to her Instagram page, according to The Guardian’s announcement-day report. The Washington Post said the cause was not immediately clear; The Guardian reported that no cause had been announced at the time. Neither report established a cause.
Her connection to Beyoncé
DePrince appeared in Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade. In the sequence accompanying “Freedom,” she performed her own choreography, according to The Washington Post obituary. That appearance is the specific basis for describing her as a Beyoncé collaborator.
From Sierra Leone to an international ballet career
DePrince was born in Sierra Leone, grew up amid the country’s civil war and lost both parents while young. A memorial from Dutch National Ballet says she was placed in an orphanage and later adopted by an American family. After arriving in the United States, she pursued ballet; her path into the profession should not be reduced to a simple story of adversity overcome.
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Companies and performance work
DePrince was a soloist with Dance Theatre of Harlem and also performed with Dutch National Ballet and Boston Ballet. She parted with Boston Ballet in May 2024, the Washington Post reported. In 2012, she came to Europe at the invitation of De Dutch Don’t Dance Division, according to the Dutch National Ballet memorial.
Film and memoir
She appeared in the documentary First Position. Her memoir, Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina, was published in 2014; the Dutch National Ballet memorial identifies it as the work in which she chronicled her story, and The Guardian obituary describes it as a memoir.
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How DePrince described a career in dance
The Guardian obituary attributes this reflection to DePrince: “It’s about also having a good career and enjoying it, as both a human being and as an artist.”
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