Michaela DePrince

Aashna Patel

Christopher

HHSE2: 2

April 30, 2018

Center Stage

Michaela DePrincehttps://www.michaeladeprince.com/about-1/ “Superheroes frame the world as a place where there are injustices to be corrected and problems to be solved. And superheroes also teach us that we all struggle. We all have our problems…. so superheroes end up teaching people about resilience, courage — and the need to fix things in the world” (Svitak). In her article “What’s so Super About Superheroes? This Teen Speaker Explains,” Adora Svitak describes the characteristics of a hero as courageous, resilient, and inspiring. She expresses that heroes embody the qualities that the society strives to possess. Svitak explains the qualities of a superhero but leaves out those of a modern day hero. This brings up the questions: What is a deserving hero? What actions make up a hero? Is it saving lives? Is it running into a burning house to save a stranded pet? Is it speaking out? Or is it conquering one’s obstacles and following their hearts to better the lives of others? True heroes possess determination to overcome hardships and the courage to share their stories and empower others. Personally, in addition to these attributes, a worthy hero needs to have the motive to make a difference in the world. If that means doing a small act of kindness, such as helping someone carry their groceries to the car, or something large like fighting for equality, everything makes a difference. Ordinary people become heroes because they take time out of their life to better another’s. The individual should have the ability to come up with an innovative way to better the society with or without the need of physical strength or a powerful position in society. A deserving hero is one that can make a powerful impact on the life of another by fearlessly standing up for what they believe despite the opinions of others to make their dreams a reality.

Michaela Deprince's "Freedom" performance.https://www.etonline.com/features/188266_beyonce_lemonade_ballerina_michaela_deprince_set_secrets_personal_freedom_journeyAn African American ballerina embodied the qualities of a true hero and took her beliefs and past experiences from racial prejudice in ballet and transformed them into a source of knowledge for future ballerinas of color. Michaela DePrince was born during the Sierra Leone civil war. DePrince’s father was killed by Rebels while he was at work and her mother died of starvation. She was sent to an orphanage by her uncle who did not want to look after her. She was mistreated at the orphanage because she had vitiligo- a skin disorder that caused the appearance of white patches on her neck and chest. Despite these obstacles, she displayed courage and bravery throughout her time in the orphanage. DePrince took up ballet lessons with her sisters to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer after she was adopted by her American family. In 2010 she competed in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) for the fourth time. She won a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre, New York City. She was one of six youths profiled in the documentary First Position (2011) by American filmmaker Bess Kargman. Even though DePrince was stereotyped as being black, she persevered and to this day dances to inspire others. The efforts of Michaela DePrince continue to show as she tirelessly performs and inspires younger, less fortunate children. Through the examples that Michaela DePrince has shown, one can envision a deserving hero that possess the characteristics of determination while overcoming obstacles and the desire to inspire others to follow their dreams. Michaela DePrince perseveres through her childhood adversities by utilizing her determination to dance professionally and prove that dreams do come true to improve society's perception of racial stereotypes in ballet.  

DePrince at the orphanage. https://patricforyoh.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/from-a-sierra-leone-orphanage-to-dancing-en-pointe/Michaela DePrince demonstrates determination through overcoming her violent childhood and persevering through the pain she faced to become a professional dancer. Michaela DePrince has suffered through losing both her parents and being put up for adoption: “Her fairy tale life is one of… hard work, suffering, heartache, and loss, but it is also one of achievement, love, joy, and daring to dream” (TEDx Amsterdam). Even though Michaela struggled through many obstacles, such as the loss of her family and moving to a new country, she was determined to overcome them despite the prejudice from her society. From the countless hours of hard work and dedication she put into dance, DePrince was able to create a platform for herself in the world of ballet and use it to reach out to others. When performing in her dance studio’s annual The Nutcracker, Michaela injures her ankle but does not let it prevent her from performing: “My ankle was painful and tender, but I didn't let it show on my face. I would never allow the audience to see how I was feeling” (DePrince 530). This was not a regular performance. In this production, Michaela was playing the lead role in The Nutcracker, which is symbolic because she was one of the first African American classical ballet dancers in her dance school to be given such a sought-after role. Michaela DePrince shows determination by overcoming her traumatic childhood and not letting it affect the way she performed on stage.

Michaela joined the Dutch National Ballet’s brand-new Junior Company.https://www.operaballet.nl/en/node/2991

Michaela DePrince encourages others to disregard racial stereotype and follow their dreams, by becoming one of the few African American ballet dancers. Michaela DePrince explains to the Jockey magazine how thankful she is for the platform she has to express her hopes for others: “‘The campaign gives me an opportunity to reach more people with my story and inspire others to feel confident and comfortable with who they are, inside and out, and provide hope’” (Jockey). Michaela DePrince teamed up with many sports brands and her documentary producer to be able to reach out to millions of people. She remains humble throughout her journey by not letting her achievements get to her head. This allows her to work to better the futures of others in the word of dance and help pave the path to success. After some hesitance, DePrince agreed to make a documentary on her life to encourage young girls of color to find their place in society. “As she became more comfortable on camera, DePrince understood that the documentary gave her an opportunity to show the world that there was a place for black girls in the ballet world” (Michaela DePrince). By using her documentary as a platform to reach out to people, DePrince promotes racial equality in ballet. Her goal is to help children of color, particularly African Americans, realize their dreams are limitless. DePrince gives back to the community by creating the path to success easier for those held back by society. Michaela DePrince influenced young girls of color to follow their hearts despite racial norms in the world of ballet.

Michaela DePrince in New Yorkhttps://dancetabs.com/2013/10/michaela-deprince-junior-company-dutch-national-ballet/By following the journey of Michaela DePrince, one learns that the way to achieve their goals is to have the determination to persevere through hardship and the desire to inspire people to improve their society. Throughout her life, Michaela has shown determination and courage on multiple occasions. DePrince was given the chance to make her dreams come true when she was adopted by her American family. She was given the chance to make her dreams come true and she took it without hesitance. DePrince continues to overcome obstacle after obstacle to demonstrate that no matter how one’s life started, a little hope and determination can make any dream come true. Even though Michaela DePrince had to face many challenges with discrimination in ballet, she was still determined to break racial stereotypes for future generations of ballerinas. DePrince is an inspiration to young women of color to pursue careers in a mostly white world of ballet. A world which has traditionally been closed to those who do not fit the conventional stereotype of beauty, whether based on skin color or size. Michaela’s goal from the beginning has been to inspire those who are held back by society to break out of their shell and encourage others to do so as well: “‘I'm still trying to change the way people see black dancers, that we can become delicate dancers, that we can be a ballerina’” (Nkepile Mabuse). DePrince explained that despite the color of an individual’s skin, they can achieve their goals with hard work and dedication. She has inspired young dancers, like myself, to disregard the prejudice of others and continue to follow our dreams. Since I first began dancing at the age of 5, I have learned to endure the pain of constantly being on my feet. When I was in fourth grade, my pain endurance was put to the test as I had to undergo an abdominal surgery. The surgery interfered with my ability to walk causing me to doubt if I would ever dance again. I was introduced to Michaela DePrince while I was recovering in the hospital. I was immediately drawn to her courage and determination to overcome her hardships. The bravery she displayed during her childhood compelled me to not lose hope and continue fighting for my dreams to become an Indian classical dancer. DePrince was my inspiration and hero when I lost faith in my goals.  Heroes do not need superpowers to be super, they just have to possess the desire to create change: “Modern-day superheroes are not necessarily heroes in terms of who they are as people - it’s more in terms of what they do when they need to make a difference and actually help someone. It’s the small things sometimes that matter most” (Svitak). Svitak explains that modern heroes are heroes because of the difference they make in the world. Michaela DePrince is a hero because she spends her life bettering that of others by fighting for racial equality in the world of ballet. DePrince continues to embody the traits of a true hero and advocates for black women around the world by doing what she does best: dancing.

Works Cited

DePrince, Michaela, and Elaine DePrince. Taking Flight: from War Orphan to Star Ballerina.

Ember, an Imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2016.

"Michaela DePrince." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 104, Gale, 2013. Biography In

Context,https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606005745/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=da6f49b6. Accessed 5 Apr. 2018.

Svitak, Adora. “What's so Super about Superheroes? This Teen Speaker Explains.” TED-Ed

Blog, 8 Nov. 2015,

blog.ed.ted.com/2015/07/07/whats-so-super-about-superheroes-this-teen-speaker-explain

s/.

Written by. “Michaela DePrince: ‘Never Be Afraid of Living and Loving.’” TEDxAmsterdam, 6

May 2015, tedx.amsterdam/2014/11/michaela-deprince-never-afraid-living-loving/.

Mabuse, From Nkepile. “Michaela DePrince: From War Orphan to Teen Ballerina.” CNN, Cable

News Network, 3 Sept. 2012, www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/africa/michaela-deprince-ballet-dancing/index.html.