Trailblazing Prima Ballerina: Maria Tallchief
1. Introduction
Representation in ballet is very important because it gives the younger generation of dancers the opportunity to envision themselves in a role of immense beauty and grace. Having the representation of culture, community, or people you identify with encourages others to pursue their dreams. Maria Tallchief is a perfect example of cultural representation because she broke through many barriers to become the first American prima ballerina but also the first Native American prima ballerina. As a woman of color, I was inspired to choose Maria Tallchief because she paved the way for future artists and dancers of color who can look up to her and the many achievements she has accomplished through her resilience and talent.
2. Biographical Information
Maria Tallcheif was born on January 24, 1925, as Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief, in Fairfax Oklahoma. Her father was from the Osage Tribe and her mother was of Scots-Irish descent. She had a younger sister named Marjorie and a brother Jerry who she grew up with on the Osage reservation in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Their mother put Marie and Marjorie in dance lessons at a young age with hopes of becoming aspiring artists. The family later moved to Los Angeles in search of more opportunities of advanced the daughters' ballet training. This is where Marie worked with Ernest Bletcher, Bronislava Nijiska, and David Linchine, who had her start all over again to learn everything properly from the beginning this time around. Then, in 1942 Marie graduated from high school and decided to move to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. She joined Ballet Russe Monte Carlo, a premier Russian ballet in which she began as an apprentice and quickly moved up to dance in the corps de ballet and later on in leading roles. Around this time in her professional career, she began using the stage name of Maria Tallcheif instead of her full name, which combined the two parts of her Native American name. Then, in 1946 she married the famous choreographer George Balanchine but, they separated shortly after in 1951. However, it was an amicable parting, and worked well together, therefore in 1948 together they began the New York City Ballet and continued to dance in many of his well-known performances. Maria took a break from ballet when she had her daughter Elise in 1959 after marrying Henry Pachen two years prior. Once she returned to ballet after her break, she did not stop dancing until she retired in 1965. Maria did not leave the world of ballet entirely though, because she became an instructor and artistic director for the Lyric Opera Ballet. One of the last things she did was to found the Chicago City Ballet with her sister Marjorie and also became the artistic director there as well. Maria died on April 11, 2013, at age 88 in Chicago, Illinois, however, her legacy and triumphs will live forever.
3. Career highlights
There were many triumphs and achievements that Maria earned in her life as a trailblazing prima ballerina. Her passion, hard work, and dedication allowed her to become America’s prima ballerina in the New York City Ballet and the first Native American to reach that rank, which is a title she held for almost 13 years. She was breaking barriers time and time again as the first in many things. In 1947 she danced with the Paris Opera Ballet as the first American to ever do so. Maria was also a guest performer with the American Ballet Theatre for a few years and in 1960 she was the first American to perform at the Bolshoi Theater. As the great dancer she was, she originated many well-known roles including Firebird and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Many of the reviews she received from dance critics praised her technicality, musicality, and strength. In 1996 she received the Kennedy Center Honors and was inducted into the National Woman’s Hall of Fame. Her achievements landed her the National Medal of Arts award in 1999 which is given by the United States government as the highest-ranking award that can be given to artists. It is no doubt that Maria was an exceptional artist with incredible talent and skill to achieve so many highlights throughout her career but the most impactful thing she did was to represent her indigenous community.
4. Three Interesting Facts
Maria was a very interesting person not only because of her legacy but also because of her experiences when she was alive. Maria wrote her own autobiography titled, “ Maria Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina” where she details her life growing up and the many hardships she had to endure on her journey to success. One interesting fact she highlighted was that her mother would buy her pointe shoes that were a few sizes too big to avoid buying more as her feet would grow, therefore she would have to stuff them with cloth and endure the pain. Her journey was not easy but she persevered and was determined to pursue her dreams. Another interesting fact was that she was Balancine’s muse as he choreographed many well-known and famous performances that she danced to. She performed in many great roles including Orpheus, Scotch Symphony, Firebird, and The Nutcracker. The last fact was that as she grew professionally in her career, many people advised her to change her last name to Tallchief in order to not be discriminated against by other companies. However, she refused to do this and kept her last name demonstrating that she is indeed proud of her heritage and culture.
5. Conclusion
She faced many challenges as a Native American woman in ballet but her courage and strength will inspire future generations of people that can relate to her and be inspired by her journey to pursue their dreams as well. Her legacy will live on as dancers continue to dance the performances that she originated and continue to look up to her. Maria’s artistic contributions to ballet will forever be remembered and honored.
Maria Tallchief Biography. (2014, April 2). The Biography.Com. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.biography.com/artists/maria-tallchief
Norwood, Arlisha. "Maria Tallchief." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2017. March 26, 2023. Maria Tallchief | National Women's History Museum (womenshistory.org)
Tallchief, Maria, and Larry Kaplan. Maria Tallchief: America's prima ballerina. Macmillan, 1997.
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