Ballerina. She was the first Native American to ever become a prima ballerina of a major ballet company. Born Elizabeth Maria Tallchief on a reservation, her father was a chief of the Osage Nation and her mother was of Scottish-Irish heritage. As a child she attended Catholic schools and enjoyed music, dancing, and ballet. In 1933 her family moved to Beverly Hills, California where she could receive proper ballet training in pursuit of her dreams, studying with Ernest Belcher until the age of 12 and then with Bronislava Nijinska for the next five years. At 17 she left California and auditioned in New York City, New York, joining the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and soon became a featured soloist. When the company asked her to change her name to Maria Tallchieva she refused, but agreed to be called Maria Tallchief. In 1946 she married Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine who wrote several of his most famous works for her. They divorced in 1952 but continued to work together. In 1947 she left the Ballet Russe and joined the New York City Ballet, where From 1947 to 1960 she was their first prima ballerina until 1960. Her 1949 performance of Balanchine's "The Firebird" along with their earlier work at the Paris Opera vaulted her onto the world stage. In 1954 she originated the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's version of "The Nutcracker." In 1965 she retired from the New York Ballet and from 1973 to 1979 she directed the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet and in 1981, along with her sister Marjorie, she founded the Chicago City Ballet, serving as its artistic director until 1987. From 1990 to 2013 she was the artistic advisor to Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet. In 1996 she received the Lifetime Kennedy Center Honors and in 1999 she was awarded the American National Medal of Arts by The National Endowment of the Arts in Washington DC. She is honored in Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with four other Native American ballerinas with a bronze statue entitled "The Five Moons" located in the garden of the Tulsa Historical Society.
Ballerina. She was the first Native American to ever become a prima ballerina of a major ballet company. Born Elizabeth Maria Tallchief on a reservation, her father was a chief of the Osage Nation and her mother was of Scottish-Irish heritage. As a child she attended Catholic schools and enjoyed music, dancing, and ballet. In 1933 her family moved to Beverly Hills, California where she could receive proper ballet training in pursuit of her dreams, studying with Ernest Belcher until the age of 12 and then with Bronislava Nijinska for the next five years. At 17 she left California and auditioned in New York City, New York, joining the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and soon became a featured soloist. When the company asked her to change her name to Maria Tallchieva she refused, but agreed to be called Maria Tallchief. In 1946 she married Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine who wrote several of his most famous works for her. They divorced in 1952 but continued to work together. In 1947 she left the Ballet Russe and joined the New York City Ballet, where From 1947 to 1960 she was their first prima ballerina until 1960. Her 1949 performance of Balanchine's "The Firebird" along with their earlier work at the Paris Opera vaulted her onto the world stage. In 1954 she originated the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's version of "The Nutcracker." In 1965 she retired from the New York Ballet and from 1973 to 1979 she directed the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet and in 1981, along with her sister Marjorie, she founded the Chicago City Ballet, serving as its artistic director until 1987. From 1990 to 2013 she was the artistic advisor to Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet. In 1996 she received the Lifetime Kennedy Center Honors and in 1999 she was awarded the American National Medal of Arts by The National Endowment of the Arts in Washington DC. She is honored in Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with four other Native American ballerinas with a bronze statue entitled "The Five Moons" located in the garden of the Tulsa Historical Society.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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