Maria Tallchief (born January 24, 1925) was an American ballerina. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also,,, A ballerina ( Italian for female dancer) is a Female Ballet Dancer; the male equivalent to this title From 1942 to 1947 she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but she is best known for her time with the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1965. See also Ballets Russes, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was an influential Ballet company founded by René Blum and Colonel Vassily New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by

Contents 1 Early life 2 New York 3 Personal life 4 Honors 5 Documentary 6 External links 7 Pictures 8 References

Early life

Her full name was Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief; her family called her Betty Marie. She was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma on January 24, 1925, to a father who was a chief in the Osage Nation and a Scots-Irish mother. Fairfax is a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1555 at the 2000 census. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Osage Nation is a tribe in the United States, which is mainly based in Osage County Oklahoma, but can be found throughout America Ulster Scots, also known as Ullans, Hiberno-Scots, or Scots-Irish, refers to the variety of Scots (sometimes referred to as

Of her childhood she wrote, "I was a good student and fit in at Sacred Heart (Catholic school). But in many ways, I was a typical Indian girl — shy, docile, introverted. I loved being outdoors and spent most of my time wandering around my big front yard, where there was an old swing and a garden. I'd also ramble around the grounds of our summer cottage hunting for arrowheads in the grass. Finding one made me shiver with excitement. Mostly, I longed to be in the pasture, running around where the horses were. . . " ^[1].

She enjoyed music, dancing and ballet. Her desire to pursue a career in the arts constituted a considerably challenging dream for a Native American child in those days. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The family moved to Beverly Hills, California in 1933, where she studied ballet with Bronislava Nijinska for five years. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance See also Bronislava Nijinska (Бронислава Фоминична Нижинская Bronislava Fominichna Nizhinskaya; Polish: Bronisława Niżyńska Madame Nijinska's philosophy of discipline made sense to Tallchief. "When you sleep, sleep like ballerina. Even on street waiting for bus, stand like ballerina" ^[1]. Betty Marie continued to work hard and mastered technical skills well beyond her years. She premiered at the Hollywood Bowl. The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern Amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles California, USA, that is used primarily for music Performances

New York

Tallchief left Los Angeles at the age of 17 and auditioned in New York City. The City of New York She joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and quickly rose to the status of featured soloist. See also Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, The Ballets Russes ( French for The Russian Ballets) was a Ballet company established At the suggestion of Agnes de Mille, she adopted the name Maria Tallchief. Agnes George de Mille ( September 18, 1905 &ndash October 7, 1993) was an American Dancer and Choreographer

Georgian born Choreographer George Balanchine wrote several of his most famous works for her. The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή" See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze The two were married on August 16, 1946; the marriage ended in 1952. They had no children. She was the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1960, where Balanchine was the principal choreographer. New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by Her performance of Balanchine's The Firebird in 1949 and their earlier collaboration at the Paris Opera elevated Maria Tallchief onto the world stage. The Firebird ( French: L'Oiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица Žar-ptica) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky Opéra National de Paris is the leading Opera company of France. She also originated the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tallchief continued to dance with the New York City Ballet and with other groups until her retirement in 1965. New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by With her sister Marjorie, she founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 and served as its artistic director until 1987. From 1990 to present she has been artistic advisor to Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Chicago Festival Ballet is a professional Ballet company performing a repertoire of classical romantic and neoclassical works in venues around the United States

Personal life

After her marriage to Balanchine ended, Maria briefly married Elmourza Natirboff, an aviator, and later married Henry "Buzz" Paschen, a Chicago builder, on June 3, 1956. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The latter marriage lasted until his death in 2003. They had one daughter, Elise Paschen (born 1959), an award-winning poet who served as the Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America from 1988 to 2001, and currently teaches in the writing program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Elise Maria Paschen, a poet of Osage descent is the co-founder and co-editor of Poetry in Motion, a program which places poetry posters in subways and buses across The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets including Witter Bynner. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's premier Fine art museums

Marie Tallchief's younger sister, Marjorie Tallchief, also had a successful career as a ballet dancer and was for several years "première danseuse étoile" of the Paris Opera Ballet. The Paris Opéra Ballet is the official Ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris, otherwise known as the Palais Garnier, though

Honors

• When the Governor of Oklahoma honored her that same year for her international achievements and her proud Native American identity, Maria Tallchief was named Wa-Xthe-Thomba ("Woman of Two Worlds"). Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America.
• She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996 along with Johnny Cash, Jack Lemmon, Edward Albee, and Benny Carter ^[2]. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8 1925 &ndash June 27 2001 was an American Actor known principally for his comedic roles Edward Franklin Albee III ( "AWL-bee" born March 12 1928 is a three time Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright known for works including Bennett Lester Carter (born August 8, 1907 in Harlem New York; died July 12, 2003 in Los Angeles California) was
• In 1999 she was awarded the American National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
• On November 7, 2006, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York presented a special tribute to Maria Tallchief titled "A Tribute to Ballet Great Maria Tallchief," in which Tallchief officially named Kenneth von Heidecke as her protégé. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the Congress of the United States in 1984 for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA is a United States federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Kenneth von Heidecke (born in December 30, 1952 in Chicago) is an American Dancer, Choreographer, and the Founder ^[3]
• Maria Tallchief is honored in Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with four other Native-American ballerinas (Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin and Marjorie Tallchief), with a larger than life-size bronze statue in the garden of the Tulsa Historical Society. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Yvonne Chouteau (born March 7, 1929 in Vinita, Oklahoma) is one of the "Five Moons" or Native prima ballerinas of Oklahoma Rosella Hightower ( 30 January 1920) was an American Ballerina born in Ardmore Oklahoma.

Documentary

A one hour documentary titled Maria Tallchief was completed in November of 2007 by Sandy and Yasu Osawa of Upstream Productionsin Seattle, Washington. The documentary will air on PBS stations at various times from 2007-2010. The film features 180 archival photos including some from Ms. Tallchief's personal collection covering the time period of her marriage to George Balanchine and her early years growing up in Fairfax, Oklahoma. In addition, clips from her performances include Swan Lake, Pas de Dix, Le Baiser de la Fée, The Nutcracker, The Firebird and The Black Swan. Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Firebird ( French: L'Oiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица Žar-ptica) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky

External links

• Biography for Maria Tallchiefat the Internet Movie Database
• Maria Tallchief from Upstream Video Productions

Pictures

• The Ballerina Gallery - Maria Tallchief

References

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