Ballerina Michaela DePrince, whose career inspired many after being born into war, dies at 29

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who came to the United States from an orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone and performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, has died. She was 29. Her family said in a statement posted Friday that DePrince “touched so many lives across the world, including ours.” DePrince was adopted by an American couple and by age 17 had been featured in a documentary film and performed on the TV show “Dancing With the Stars.” She was a principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and later danced with the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet. No cause of death was provided.