Inspiring Ballerina Who Appeared in Beyoncé Music Video Dies at 29
Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the inspiring ballerina who was was orphaned in Sierra Leone before eventually being adopted by a New Jersey couple and soaring to the top of the dance world, has died at the age of 29.
Her sister, Mia DePrince, announced the death, which comes just days after their adoptive mother, Elaine ‘Mamma E’ DePrince, also died.
“I am truly in a state of shock and deep sadness. My beautiful sister is no longer here. From the very beginning of our story back in Africa, sleeping on a shared mat in the orphanage, Michaela (Mabinty) and I used to make up our own musical theater plays and act them out. We created our own ballets. She would choreograph, and I was the composer and conductor,” she said. “When we got adopted, our parents quickly poured into our dreams and arose the beautiful, gracefully strong ballerina that so many of you knew her as today. She was an inspiration.”