REAL PEOPLE: MICHAELA DEPRINCE

MICHAELA: I believe that the love, support, and lessons in living I received from my African parents when I was a very young child, and later from my American parents gave me the confidence to emerge triumphant from the negativism I experienced.  I learned from them that I was worthy of love and respect.

MICHAELA: First Position brought a certain degree of notoriety to my life.  Suddenly people recognized me in the streets, and the media placed a spotlight on me.  Most of all, it brought me to the attention of ballet company directors, some of whom welcomed me as a guest and then ultimately dared to consider hiring me.  In the time when First Position was filmed until now, I went from being a fourteen-year-old ballet student at a dance school in Philadelphia to becoming a nineteen-year-old professional ballet dancer with a top tier international classical ballet company.

MICHAELA: I’m under contract with the Dutch National Ballet, and so far I have been cast to dance in every production, so I cannot just abandon the company for a book tour.  However, I attempt to reach out to my fans through social media, though I haven’t yet figured out how to sign books that way.   Now about Taking Flight, in this book I tell the story of how I was orphaned by the civil war in Sierra Leone and with perseverance and the support of others, I managed to make my dreams come true.

MICHAELA: I hope that teens take away from my book the idea that everyone has a dream, and with hard work and determination that dream can come true.  I also hope that they realize how impossible it is to succeed alone, and accept the mentoring and support that friends, relatives, or teachers are willing to give.

MICHAELA: I believe that the survival skills that I honed as a starving child in war-torn Sierra Leone, made me stronger and more able to persist when faced with disappointment, adversity, and difficulties as I grew older.

MICHAELA: Originally I was attracted to ballet when I found a magazine with a photograph of a ballerina on the cover.  I knew then that I wanted to be like that ballerina.  When I finally had the opportunity to take ballet lessons I fell in love with them because they gave me an opportunity to release my emotions through the movement of my body.  Eventually I became impassioned by ballet, and now I cannot imagine living without it.

MICHAELA: I have not yet returned to Sierra Leone.  I would like to start an academy of art there someday, where not just dance is taught, but other art forms as well, such as music, visual arts, etc.  However, now is not the time for me to do it.  I’m too young and unseasoned, my memories are still too fresh, and thoughts of returning still frighten me.

ELAINE: I would like to say that I knew this from the beginning, but if I had, I certainly would have taken more photos of her dancing, and I didn’t.  However, I could see her talent and determination from the beginning, but I feared that as she grew older she might become distracted or discouraged.  I think that the idea that Michaela would become such an extraordinary presence in the world of ballet came to me gradually, as time and again she outdid herself on the stage.

MICHAELA: I think that I am most inspired by my parents.  They were always very hard workers who taught me the importance of making a commitment to what I do. Now they are seniors in their late sixties and early seventies and they still dare to dream.   I would like to be like them.

 ELAINE:  I would like them to know that everyone has a talent.  It may be in anything: dancing, drawing, baking, or even organic soap making. It’s important to find their talent and develop it because that will give them a sense of fulfillment in life.

MICHAELA:  I would advise that they be willing to accept the help of a mentor, and when they have achieved, pay it forward by mentoring someone else.  This is how you perpetuate a legacy.