Taking that leap of faith

Michaela DePrince’s journey from civil war orphan to ballet star fame is the stuff of fairytale, writes Marjorie Brennan.

One day, as civil war raged in Sierra Leone, a little girl stood at the gates of the orphanage that had become her home following the murder of her father and the death of her mother from starvation.

She watched as hundreds of people hurried by, their possessions in wheelbarrows and baskets, fleeing the rebels and their random killing spree.