SHE WAS ADOPTED BY A MOTHER WHO LOST HER THREE CHILDREN, LATER SHE BECAME A FAMOUS NAME
Michaela DePrince had struggled a lot, after she was born in 1995, and lost both of her parents. She had vitiligo skin condition, which she had white spots on her neck, and that caused abusement in her community in Seirra Leone.
Her original name was Mabinty Bangura, and she was born during the civil war in Sierra Leone. As her father lost his life during the war, her mother lost her life from illness and starvation.
She was named by the community as “Devil’s Child,” which that led her to think that she was a monster. “They ranked us. Number one was the favorite child, and number 27 was the least favorite … I was number 27.”
As she starved, and looked at the ballerina magazines hopelessly, she imagined a life where she was happy. “It was not just the fact that she’s a ballerina. It’s that she looks happy. And I wanted to be happy and … if what she was doing made her happy, that’s what I wanted to do.”
In 1999, an American couple, who lost their children had adopted Michaela.Elaine DePrince lost her three children during HIV/AIDS epidemic. The couple loved their new daughter, and took her to dance classes, to help Michaela so she would built her self confidence again.
On their first meeting, Elaine saw that Michaela was walking on her toes, with a ballerina magazine. And she understood that Michaela’s dream was to be a dancer.
“I used to have to sleep with the light on. I was just terrified that if I turned it off when I would wake up, I would be in the orphanage again.” Michaela said.
Michaela worked hard for her dream to become a ballerina. “The only way I could survive was … to prove everybody wrong.”
As her skin color caused her trouble in her journey to become a ballerina for some people, that made her insecure about herself too, as she was worried that people would laugh at her.
But her adoptive mother had ensured that her white spots were “pixie dust,” and that she should be confident of herself.
She was only 17, when she became the youngest performer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. Ted Brandsen, the director, was amazed with Michaela’s will.
When she was 22, Beyonce picked her to put a solo choreography for a music video of the song, “Freedoom.”
As Michaela worked hard and received unlimited support and unconditional love from her adoptive family, she managed to fulfill her dreams.
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