Beyonce Told Michaela DePrince She Was a ‘Creature From Another Planet’ During ‘Lemonade’ Shoot

Professional ballet dancer Michaela DePrince was starstruck to appear in the 2016 visual album for Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

“She said I looked like I was a creature from another planet,” DePrince, who died in September, told the Wall Street Journal in an April 2016 profile. “She walked up to me and said, ‘It’s such an honor to have you here.’”

DePrince was completely blown away that Beyoncé, now 43, wanted the ballet principal dancer to appear in her music video.

I was really cheesy and said, ‘The honor is mine,” DePrince recalled. “I was on cloud nine.”

For the Lemonade concept, DePrince self-choreographed a ballet routine. While on set. Beyoncé’s eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, showed off her own dance skills as the singer’s husband, Jay-Z, watched in awe.

I don’t know if he was bothered by the song,” DePrince told the newspaper of the LP, rumored to be about Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity. “He was there watching us film and he was super, super sweet.”

After the success of Lemonade, DePrince became a principal dancer at the Boston Ballet company. Eight years later, she tragically died at the age of 29.

“With pain in our hearts, we share the loss of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched countless hearts and whose spirit inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet and beyond,” a Friday, September 13, statement on the athlete’s Instagram account read. “Her life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us.”