~Feature ~
Never Look Back, the Esteemed Ballerina
T
he 2013 Green White & Blue Ball celebrated Sierra Leone’s 52nd Independence at the historic Howard University Theatre in Washington, DC, USA. As part of the
celebration, a number
of movers and shakers
in the Sierra Leonean
comradeship were
recognized for their
achievements. In this
issue, Kushe’ Magazine brings you the
story of the esteemed
ballerina, Ms.
Michaela DePrince.
School for Dance Education in Philadelphia
and later graduated from the American Ballet
Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
School.
Her ascent to
stardom in the
ballet world
took off from
there. Michaela
has been featured in numerous publications
such as CNN,
The Huffington
Post, Teen
Vogue and ABC
News. At 17,
she was featured
in a documentary film, First
Position, and
performed on
the television
show Dancing
with the Stars.
A magazine page with
the image of an
American ballet
dancer postured on her
tip toe was all
Michaela needed to
envision her dream of
becoming one of the
most revered ballet
dancers in the world.
At four years old, she
found the page next to
the gate of an orphanage in Sierra Leone.
Mic haela held on to this signal of hope until
she reached the United States and presented
it to her adopted mother. She worked vigilantly at ballet training and began to win
scholarships to famous ballet schools. Eventually she drew the attention of ballet company directors. With the love and support of
her parents, Michaela enrolled into the Rock
Today,
Photography: Jade Young Michaela works
for The Dance
Theatre of Harlem. Upon returning from
South Africa after starring in the play "Don
Quixote" as Kitri, Kushe’ got in touch with
Michaela just
before she was off to the Netherlands to
dance for the Dutch National Ballet.
Michaela spent the first three years of her life
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