Michaela DePrince, original name Mabinty Bangura, (born January 6, 1995, Kenema district, Sierra Leone), Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical prowess and tenacious spirit. DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura during Sierra Leone’s prolonged civil war and spent her early years in that country. Rebel forces killed her father, and her mother died soon after of starvation. An uncle deposited her at an orphanage, where she was mistreated because she had vitiligo a medical disorder of skin pigmentation that caused the appearance of white patches on her neck and chest. She also witnessed the mutilation of a pregnant teacher