Michaela DePrince

Ballet brings me joy!

— Michaela DePrince

The arts can change you as a person.

— Michaela DePrince

I was always a feisty little girl.

— Michaela DePrince

If you keep fighting you will be OK.

— Michaela DePrince

When I was younger, it was hard for me to get roles just because of my color.

— Michaela DePrince

I want to be known as a delicate, Black dancer who does classical ballet.

— Michaela DePrince

Sometimes you just need to make a little ripple to open the doors for others.

— Michaela DePrince

It is reassuring to have comrades in arms when knocking down barriers.

— Michaela DePrince

I hope to inspire a lot of young children.

— Michaela DePrince

I think my past has helped me to stay strong, but I try not to focus on it anymore.

— Michaela DePrince

Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils.

— Michaela DePrince

I worked very hard and I was en pointe by the time I was seven years old.

— Michaela DePrince

The first time we went to the supermarket there was so much food! I just started grabbing grapes - I thought it…

— Michaela DePrince

When I look back at all the things I've been through and everything I've accomplished, I realize, Wow, I am very blessed.

— Michaela DePrince

I'd love kids of my own, but if that's not possible I'd definitely adopt. The fact that it's becoming so hard to…

— Michaela DePrince

I used to watch all the dancers from the dance theater of Harlem when i was younger and i wanted to be…

— Michaela DePrince

We all have ouridiosyncrasies, but pretty much every dancer is going to have a strong, wiry body.

— Michaela DePrince

I've been through so much, but I was able to go forward to what I've always believed in.

— Michaela DePrince

I want to change the way people look at black ballerinas and how they think about adoption. I want to become a…

— Michaela DePrince

I used to have to sleep with the light on. Like, I was just terrified that if I turned it off, when…

— Michaela DePrince

Europe is great, especially for dance. It's a lot more accepting than the U.S. - there I struggled with the fact that…

— Michaela DePrince

My parents said that I was born with a sharp cry and a personality as prickly as an African hedgehog. Even worse,…

— Michaela DePrince

When I went to South Africa, I shared my story with a few high school kids and realised it could really have…

— Michaela DePrince

The reason we wear pink tights in ballet is that the color is supposed to complete the line, but if you have…

— Michaela DePrince

My mom worked so hard to find out what each of us wanted to be. She stayed up late teaching me how…

— Michaela DePrince

You cannot help but watch ballet dancers like Precious Adams without realizing that a classical ballerina can be black. However, talking about…

— Michaela DePrince

As a child I didn't understand why there were no black students in dance schools: classmates and teachers made me feel different…

— Michaela DePrince

The fact that black young dancers consider me to be a role model is incredible. I hope that they can continue to…

— Michaela DePrince

Our household in southeastern Sierra Leone, West Africa, was not typical. First, my parents married for love and my father refused to…

— Michaela DePrince

I've been through some horrible things, and I've still been able to overcome it.

— Michaela DePrince

I want to show that black people can dance ballet as well as white people.

— Michaela DePrince

I like to share with people I meet my optimism and hope.

— Michaela DePrince

I love John Legend and Alicia Keys and watching 'Castle' and 'Big Bang Theory.'

— Michaela DePrince

Because I'm black, people think I'm not capable of being delicate, only athletic.

— Michaela DePrince

I suppose that I hope to change the history of ballet.

— Michaela DePrince

The only way I could survive was... to prove everybody wrong.

— Michaela DePrince

You don't have to have the perfect body to change the world.

— Michaela DePrince

Dance helped me a lot. I had a lot of nightmares.

— Michaela DePrince

I want to become the best artist I can be.

— Michaela DePrince

There are dancers who put themselves on strict diets, but I'm not one of them.

— Michaela DePrince