From a Sierra Leone Orphanage to Dancing En Pointe

Michaela dancing the role of the Black Swan in Swan Lake for the Dance Theatre of Harlem

When Michaela DePrince was a four-year-old orphan in war-ravaged Sierra Leone, she saw an elegant ballerina dancing en pointe on the cover of a magazine that had been tossed in the trash. The photo of the dancer provided a glimpse into a world DePrince didn’t know existed but immediately wanted to be a part of. “I was so sad, and the fact that she looked so happy made me think that maybe I could dance like that and be happy too someday,” she says. Despite tremendous odds, DePrince turned her dream into reality. At 19, she now performs with the prestigious Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

With the other orphans, Michaela at age four wearing pants at the far left with her best friend soon to be sister Mia right behind her

What DePrince experienced in the first four years of her life is almost impossible to imagine. At age three, only days after rebels shot and killed her father, her mother died of starvation. Her only remaining relative was an abusive uncle who deemed her a ‘spotted, devil child’ because DePrince was born with a skin condition called Vitiligo that produced white freckles on her neck and chest. Her uncle left her at an orphanage where she slept on a mat on the floor and was known as Number 27. Soon after, DePrince witnessed the horror of seeing a beloved teacher killed in front of her. When the rebels took over the orphanage, the children walked for days through the jungle and past hundreds of dead bodies to reach safety in Guinea. Throughout the horrific ordeal, DePrince clung onto the picture of the ballerina in her beautiful tutu. As DePrince writes in her memoir Taking Flight: “That picture was my only hope. It was my promise of a better life somewhere away from all this madness.”

Soon to be adopted sisters Mariel, Mia, and Michaela with another girl getting ready to leave for America

Once DePrince reached Guinea, her life transformed. DePrince and her best friend were adopted by an American couple, Elaine and Charles DePrince, and brought to live in New Jersey. Unable to speak English clearly, DePrince handed her mother the magazine picture of the ballerina and her mother promptly enrolled her in ballet class. DePrince is one of 11 children adopted by Elaine and Charles and the young ballerina credits much of her success to her parents’ unwavering support. “My mom worked so hard to find out what each of us wanted to be. She stayed up late teaching me how to sew pointe shoes and tutus. She made my tutu for Sleeping Beauty from a bridal gown she found in a thrift shop.  She dyed it, cut it, and there were a thousand crystals. It is my favorite tutu that I have ever worn.”

Michaela’s First Formal Ballet Photo

Michaela and her mother Elaine DePrince

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Despite the support from her parents, DePrince’s journey in the ballet world has not been without hurdles. She was always one of the few African American ballerinas in her schools, and felt like she had few role models. ”When I first saw Lauren Anderson I was like ‘Oh my god there are black ballerinas!’ I was very surprised because I had no idea!” she says. In addition, she faced pressure to change her body. Like American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, DePrince was also told as a young teenager to “lengthen” her body—code in the ballet world for losing weight. “They said ‘You have to lengthen more.’ I was like, OK, I don’t know how that is even possible but I will. Then all of a sudden they seemed to like me more, which is horrible because I had no energy,” DePrince reveals. However, the young dancer was strong enough to resist the temptation to change herself in unhealthy ways to be accepted. “Just because you want me to look like the girl next to me in a line is not fair to me as a person or a dancer,” she says. “It’s almost 2015 and we are all different and we are not going to starve ourselves. That’s how people get fractures and have a shorter career.”

Leaping through the air in Johannesburg, South Africa

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While it took some time to drown out the cruelty DePrince experienced in Africa because of her skin condition, she credits dancing with helping build her confidence. “Dancing helped me realize this is who I am. Once I got into a company I realized that I finally proved all those people wrong. I am happy with the way I look. It’s what makes me different. It took me a really long time, but I like that feeling of not being like everyone else,” she says. “I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.”

Michaela in flight. Photo: Luis Pons

One of the things DePrince loves most about the Dutch National Ballet is that she feels supported for who she is, rather than feeling like she has to fit a cookie cutter mold. “I love how everybody is different here. You don’t see anybody next to each other that looks exactly the same.” DePrince has wise words of advice for young dancers. “Never give up, believe in yourself, and surround yourself with the people who support your dreams. Don’t be afraid to be different. Being different is amazing and it will get you far.”

Michaela appearing on Dancing With The Stars in 2011 

And that dancer that inspired DePrince all those years ago? With some internet sleuthing by a reporter and her mother, DePrince found out it was French ballerina Magali Messac and was able to meet her. “She is really sweet and she gives me amazing advice. To figure out whom the person was who inspired me to be who I am today, and that we danced at many of the same places—I think it’s amazing! It was just fate that I found her picture. It was all supposed to happen that way.”