Michaela DePrince, the ballerina who made Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ look like a warm-up exercise, has taken her final bow at just 29. The news of her departure, shared on her Instagram with the subtlety of a grand jeté, left us all reaching for our tissue boxes. No cause of death has been disclosed, but let’s just say the world’s stage lost a star that could’ve danced circles around us all.
Born in Sierra Leone amid chaos and calamity (seriously, it was like a war zone production of ‘The Nutcracker’), Michaela found herself in a world of trouble that would make even the grittiest of soap operas blush. Yet, she didn’t let that stop her; she twirled through adversity like a prima ballerina with a purpose. Adopted by an American couple at age 4, she traded her tough beginnings for tutus and pirouettes.
Despite a few too many “You can’t dance, you’re not tall enough” comments (seriously, who even measures ballerinas by their height?), DePrince flounced right over those hurdles. She studied at the Rock School for Dance Education and then leaped into the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School—because, of course, if you’re going to pick a name, why not make it a mouthful?
She twirled onto the global stage with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and later took her talents to Amsterdam, where she impressed everyone by not just being good but by being the goodest. Michaela was not only a vision on screen in Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ but also dazzled in the 2021 ballet movie ‘Coppelia’ and showed off her moves on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ Talk about a full dance card!
But Michaela wasn’t just a triple-threat on stage, screen, and TV. Off-stage, she used her star power for good, advocating for children affected by conflict and violence. She was basically the humanitarian equivalent of a glittering ballet slipper—graceful, supportive, and totally awesome.
In a tribute that could only be described as “Beyoncé-level heartfelt,” Queen B herself said, “Rest in peace Michaela Mabinty DePrince. Your incredible journey and beautiful dance as one of the world’s best ballerinas will stay with us always.” And indeed it will, Beyoncé. Indeed it will.
Michaela DePrince leaves behind not just a legacy of dazzling dance moves but a reminder that even in the face of life’s most challenging choreography, a little grace—and a lot of heart—can make all the difference.
