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Title character in Balanchine's Firebird. Elizabeth Marie Tallchief ( 𐓏𐒰𐓐𐒿𐒷-𐓍𐓂͘𐓄𐒰 "Two-Standards"; Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa, Osage script: 𐒼𐒱𐒹𐒻𐒼𐒰-𐓆𐓈𐒷𐓊𐒷; January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American ballerina. She was considered America's first major prima ballerina.
Nov 17, 2020 · In 1947, a 22-year-old Maria Tallchief traveled to Paris to perform at the Opera House. Post WWII, the Opera House needed a reset after its wartime director, Serge Lifar, collaborated with the Nazis. Maria’s performance was part of that reset. Parisians were excited to see the “daughter of an Indian Chief” dance.
During their professional career, Balanchine influenced Tallchief’s ballet style by encouraging her to start over with the fundamentals of the craft. She lost weight and elongated her neck and legs while learning how to hold her chest high. Danilova extensively taught Tallchief, transforming her into a featured soloist.
Jun 28, 2022 · Maria Tallchief was and remains the quintessential American ballerina and one of the most prolific ballerinas of all time. Tallchief, an indigenous American, captured the hearts of Americans, Europeans, and Russians alike. In a spectacular career spanning over 50 years, Tallchief redefined America’s artistic identity both at home and abroad.
When she was fifteen years old, Tallchief danced her first solo performance at the Hollywood Bowl in a number choreographed by Nijinska. Following her graduation from Beverly Hills High School in 1942, it was apparent that ballet would be Tallchief's life.
Maria Tallchief, age 3 or 4 (1929) by Granger National Women’s History Museum. Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was born in a small hospital on January 14, 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma to Ruth Porter and Alexander Joseph Tall Chief, member of the Osage Nation. Her younger sister, Marjorie, was born a year later.
Apr 12, 2013 · As her career took off in the 1940s, so did the New York City Ballet. YouTube In an interview for The George Balanchine Trust, Tallchief described the first performance of Firebird in 1949.
