In an impoverished orphanage in Sierra Leone, she longed to dance ballet. After being adopted by American parents, her improbable dream came true.
Michaela DePrince, an acclaimed ballerina born during the civil war in Sierra Leone whose life story was no less fantastical than the fairy tales that inspire ballet, died on Tuesday in New York City. She was 29.
Her death was confirmed by her siblings Mia and Erik DePrince. They said the cause was not “immediately clear” and declined to provide further details.
Ms. DePrince crammed a career’s worth of achievements into the 2010s.
At the beginning of the decade, she gained notice for her role in “First Position,” a popular documentary by Bess Kargman about a competition that propels teenage dancers into the upper reaches of the profession.
She then became a principal dancer with the Dance Theater of Harlem before being recruited by the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. She had lead roles in such major ballets as “The Nutcracker” and “Coppelia,” and she was a soloist in “Cinderella” and George Balanchine’s “Tarantella.”
Ms. DePrince gained a reputation for an athletic style. Writing in The New York Times, the critic Roslyn Sulcas credited her with “spitfire quickness.” Dance Spirit magazine wrote in 2012, “Powerful is the first word that comes to mind.”
