a biography of the day--maria tallchief (native american prima ballerina, 24 jan 25 -11apr2013)

[niyad]

Maria Tallchief
January 24, 1925
Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died April 11, 2013 (aged 88)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation Prima ballerina
Years active 1942-1965
Former groups New York City Ballet
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Dances Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's Nutcracker
Title character in Balanchine's Firebird

Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was the first person of Native American descent to become the prima ballerina of a major company. From 1942, at age 17, until 1947, she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but she is even better known for her time with the New York City Ballet, from its founding in 1947 through 1965. Though her surname was originally "Tall Chief", she was known professionally as Maria Tallchief. Her younger sister, Marjorie Tallchief, also had a successful career as a ballet dancer and was for several years the première danseuse étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet.


Named for her paternal and maternal grandmothers, Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma on January 24, 1925 to father Alexander Joseph Tall Chief (1890-1959), a member of the Osage Nation, and mother Ruth (née Porter) of Scottish-Irish descent.[1][2] Porter met Tall Chief, a widower, while visiting her sister who was his mother's housekeeper at
the time. Elizabeth Tall Chief's maternal great-grandfather, Peter Big Heart, had negotiated for the Osages concerning oil revenues that enriched the Osage Nation. Her father grew up rich as a result, never working "a day in his life."[2] In her autobiography, Tall Chief explained "As a young girl growing up on the Osage reservation in Fairfax, Okla., I felt my father owned the town. He had property everywhere. The local movie theater on Main Street, and the pool hall opposite, belonged to him. Our 10-room, terracotta-brick house stood high on a hill overlooking the reservation."[2] Life was far from perfect, though, as her father drank "in cycles".[2]
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Tall Chief left Los Angeles at age 17 to audition in New York City. She joined the Ballet Russe and quickly became a featured soloist. After a tour in Canada during 1942, the company asked her to change her name to Maria Tallchieva. She declined to change her Osage surname, but agreed to be called Maria Tallchief.[5]
Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine, who was briefly her husband, wrote several of his most famous works for her. She was the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1960, where Balanchine was the principal choreographer. Her performance of Balanchine's The Firebird in 1949 and their earlier collaboration at the Paris Opera elevated Maria Tallchief onto the world stage. She also created the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker, in 1954.
. . . .
After retiring from dancing, she moved to Chicago. She was director of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet from 1973 to 1979. With her sister Marjorie she founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 and served as its artistic director until 1987. From 1990 until her death she was artistic advisor to Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet.[5] She died in Chicago on April 11, 2013. [6] She was survived by her sister, daughter and two grandchildren.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Tallchief

[JimDandy]

1. I admired her enormously when I was a girl.

When I was in elementary school in OK, my mother gave me "Firebird", a slim bio of Maria Tallchief. By then Tallchief had retired, but she was so beautiful and elegant as a dancer that she inspired me to take a few months of ballet lessons. Years later, I finally got to see, on PBS, one of her riveting performances as the Firebird.
For a couple decades, I kept up with what she was doing post-career (she taught ballet for a while) but then lost track.

So glad she danced this earth. R.I.P. Maria Tallchief.

[niyad]

2. did you happen to see this--videos of some of her performances

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11382751#post5

[JimDandy]

3. No. Thanks for that.

I bookmarked it to view them later tonight.