Websites about maria tallchief biography

(1925-2013)

Who Was Maria Tallchief?

Maria Tallchief was the first Native American (Osage Tribe) woman to break into ballet. Tallchief grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she studied ballet for many years. Her career as a ballerina spanned the globe and led to a short marriage to George Balanchine.

Early Life and Career

Born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma, Tallchief was one of the country's leading ballerinas from the 1940s to the '60s. The daughter of an Osage tribe member, she was also a trailblazer for Native Americans in the world of ballet. Tallchief grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she studied ballet for years, working with Ernest Belcher and Bronislava Nijinska.

During her early career, in the 1940s, Tallchief danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was also around this time that she became known professionally as Maria Tallchief, combining the two parts of her Indian name. In 1947, she became the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet—a title that she would hold for the next 13 years. That same year, Tallchief became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet. In addition to her work with the NYCB and Paris Opera Ballet, she was a guest performer with the Ame

•

Maria Tallchief

American danseuse (1925–2013)

Maria Tallchief 𐓏𐒰𐓐𐒿𐒷-𐓍𐓂͘𐓄𐒰
Tallchief in 1961
Born	Elizabeth Marie From top to toe Chief (1925-01-24)January 24, 1925 Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	April 11, 2013(2013-04-11) (aged 88) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Prima ballerina
Years active	1942–1966
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Spouses	George Balanchine ​ ​ (m. 1946; ann. 1952)​ Elmourza Natirboff ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1954)​ Henry D. Paschen Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1956; died 2004)​
Children	Elise Paschen
Career
Former groups	Ballet Russe subordinate Monte Carlo New York Gen Ballet
Dances	Sugar Catch Fairy close in Balanchine's Nutcracker Title character hem in Balanchine's Firebird

Maria Tallchief, intelligent Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (𐓏𐒰𐓐𐒿𐒷-𐓍𐓂͘𐓄𐒰 "Two-Standards"; Osage parentage name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa, Osage script: 𐒼𐒱𐒹𐒻𐒼𐒰-𐓆𐓈𐒷𐓊𐒷; Jan 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013), was an Dhegiha and Land ballerina. She was America's first greater prima danseuse and interpretation first Innate American talk to hold depiction rank. Filament wi

•

Birth of Maria Tallchief

January 24, 1925

On this day in Osage country, the world renowned prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief, was born.

Elizabeth Marie Tallchief, or Betty Marie, was born on the Osage Reservation in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her father, Alex Tall Chief was a prominent Osage tribal member, while her mother, Ruth Porter Tall Chief, was of Scots-Irish descent.

At a young age, Betty Marie’s mother placed her in dance and piano classes along with her younger sister Marjorie with the hopes of raising “two musical dancing stars” (Tallchief).  The Tall Chief sisters first studied dance under Mrs. Sabin, performing routines at her father’s movie theater in Fairfax and at local rodeos. This lasted until Ruth decided that it was time to move on from Fairfax, ultimately settling down again in Beverly Hills, California. It was while attending public school in Beverly Hills that Betty Marie decided to combine her last name into one word, Tallchief, after being constantly teased.

Upon their arrival to their new home, Ruth enrolled her daughters in dance classes once again. Until the age of twelve, Betty Marie studied ballet, tap, acrobatics, and Spanish dancing under Ernest Belcher. She then began instruction under Madame Bronislava Nijinska, a prominent figure in Russian ba