Second soloist with the Boston Ballet Michaela Mabinty DePrince has a personal journey to the stage that is nothing short of inspiring. Michaela describes her astonishing childhood in her homeland of war-torn Sierra Leone and how dance helped quiet the chaos of her life and ultimately gave her freedom. Michaela describes the importance of authenticity, what it means to wear tights of her own skin tone, and how she questioned her identity outside the dance world after an injury.
Love this episode? Watch more Moving Moments. Legendary dancer Misty Copeland is the first African American woman to be promoted to Principal in American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history. She shares how dance gave her a voice and provided the structure and discipline that she craved. Misty describes the high of a performance, how she broke into the commercial space, and life as a new mother, and shares her childhood nickname. • Misty Copeland talks w...
And don't miss this Moving Moments episode. Tony Award winner and Resident Choreographer at New York City Ballet Justin Peck is also a celebrated director, filmmaker, and dancer. Hailed as a prodigy, Justin has created over 50 dance works with more than 20 for City Ballet alone, as well as collaborated with Stephen Spielberg. Alicia and Justin talk about the New Dances program at Juilliard, Justin's connection to music in his work, and why he finds the Anytune Pro app so valuable in creating new dances. He shares how his position at City Ballet allowed him to take greater risks in his career, the differences between choreographing for film and for the stage, and the importance of learning something new when taking on new commissions. • Justin Peck talks New ...
Photograph of Michaela Mabinty DePrince courtesy of Michaela Mabinty DePrince.
Show art by Andrew Eccles courtesy of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The Moving Moments theme song is composed by Saul Gaunipa, for Videohelper.
Moving Moments was co-created by Alicia Graf Mack, Jessica Handelman, and David Krauss.
This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format.
Episode copyright © 2023 Artful Narratives Media.