Maria Tallchief
Ballet Dancer, Film actor
1925 – 2013
Who was Maria Tallchief?
Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was considered America's first major prima ballerina, and was the first Native American to hold the rank.
Almost from birth, Tall Chief was involved in dance, starting formal lessons at age three. When she was eight, her family relocated from her birth home of Fairfax, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles, California, to advance the careers of her and her younger sister, Marjorie. At age 17, she moved to New York City in search of a spot with a major ballet company, and, at the urging of her superiors, took the name Maria Tallchief. She spent the next five years with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she met legendary choreographer George Balanchine. When Balanchine co-founded what would become the New York City Ballet in 1946, Tallchief became the company's first star.
The combination of Balanchine's difficult choreographing and Tallchief's passionate dancing revolutionized the ballet. Her 1949 role in The Firebird catapulted Tallchief to the top of the ballet world, establishing her as a prima ballerina. Her role as the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker transformed the ballet from obscure to America's most popular.
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- Born
- Jan 24, 1925
Fairfax - Also known as
- Wa-Xthe-Thomba
- Elizabeth Maria Tallchief
- Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief
- Siblings
- Spouses
- George Balanchine
(1946 - 1952) - Elmourza "Elmo" Natirboff
(1952/10/04 - 1954) - Henry "Buzz" Paschen Jr.
(1956/06/03 - 2003)
- George Balanchine
- Children
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Beverly Hills High School
- Lived in
- Oklahoma
- Died
- Apr 11, 2013
Chicago
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Maria Tallchief." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/maria_tallchief>.
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