The family of late ballet dancer Michaela DePrince, who died on Sept. 10 at the age of 29, has disclosed that they are also grieving the death of the ballerina’s adoptive mother, Elaine.
Michaela’s sisters, Mia and Jaye, and brother, Erik, revealed the news in a statement shared to Facebook on Sept. 14 via the family’s spokesperson, Jess Volinski. They said Elaine DePrince died one day after the ballerina’s death.
“There has been a great deal of speculation online so the family would like to officially set the record straight about a few things,” the statement reads.
“The last few days have been even more difficult than most people realize because the family has also been dealing with the death of Michaela’s adoptive mother Elaine DePrince.”
Elaine DePrince died on Sept. 11 while undergoing a routine procedure in advance of a surgical operation, the family said. At the time of her death, Elaine DePrince was not aware of her daughter’s death, according to the statement.
“What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful. Grieving two family members who died within a 24-hour period is tragic and devastating,” the statement continues.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated. The only way we can make sense of the senseless is that Elaine, who had already lost three children many years ago, was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child.”
‘Unforgettable Inspiration’
Volinski and members of the DePrince family said the ballerina had “touched so many lives across the world” in a Sept. 13 Facebook statement announcing Michaela DePrince’s death.
“Including ours,” they said. “She was an unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story.”
Born on Jan. 6, 1995, in Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince—whose birth name was Mabinty Bangura—spent her early life in the war-torn West African country, according to the late dancer’s online biography.
After her father died in the war and her mother died from fever and malnutrition, Michaela DePrince was sent to live in an orphanage, where she experienced bullying due to her vitiligo—a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes white or depigmented spots on the skin.
“At a very young age, Michaela caught in the corner of her eye a magazine at the orphanage, featuring a poised ballerina en pointe. This was the moment when Michaela was not only introduced to ballet, but rather, completely, totally, and utterly enamored with ballet,” her website reads.
When she was 4, Michaela DePrince became one of nine children adopted by New Jersey couple Elaine and Charles DePrince, who already had two other children. Michaela DePrince subsequently relocated to the United States, where the DePrinces enrolled her in ballet classes.
Michaela DePrince later attended Philadelphia’s Rock School for Dance Education and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre in New York City.
By the age of 17, she had achieved a number of milestones in her ballet career, including being featured in the 2011 documentary “First Position” and performing as a guest principal at the Joburg Ballet, a professional company located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Michaela DePrince also appeared on ABC’s hit competition television series “Dancing with the Stars.”
“She achieved her dreams and so much more,” the DePrince family’s statement reads.
“Her passion and impact on the dance world, especially in inspiring young black dancers to pursue their dreams, has been tremendous. We will miss her and her gorgeous smile forever and we know you will too.”
In addition to her siblings Mia, Jaye, and Erik, Michaela DePrince is survived by her sisters Beelee, Mariel, and Amie, and her brother, Adam.
“My beautiful sister is no longer here,” Mia shared in a statement.
“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.
“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.
“Whether she was leaping across the stage or getting on a plane and flying to third-world countries to provide orphans and children with dance classes, she was determined to conquer all her dreams in the arts and dance. Michaela (Mabinty) has left her footprints in the sand and on so many stages across the world. She will be truly missed.”
From The Epoch Times