Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa; January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was considered America's first major prima ballerina, and was the first Native American to hold the rank.Almost from birth, Tall Chief was involved in dance, starting formal lessons at age three. When she was eight, her family relocated from her birth home of Fairfax, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles, California, to advance the careers of her and her younger sister, Marjorie. At age 17, she moved to New York City in search of a spot with a major ballet company, and, at the urging of her superiors, took the name Maria Tallchief. She spent the next five years with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she met legendary choreographer George Balanchine. When Balanchine co-founded what would become the New York City Ballet in 1946, Tallchief became the company's first star.The combination of Balanchine's difficult choreographing and Tallchief's passionate dancing revolutionized the ballet. Her 1949 role in The Firebird catapulted Tallchief to the top of the ballet world, establishing her as a prima ballerina. Her role as the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker transformed the ballet from obscure to America's most popular. She traveled the world, becoming the first American to perform in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater. She made regular appearances on American TV before she retired in 1966. After retiring from dance, Tallchief was active in promoting ballet in Chicago. She served as director of ballet for the Lyric Opera of Chicago for most of the 1970s, and founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981.Tallchief was honored by the people of Oklahoma with multiple statues and an honorific day. She was inducted in the National Women's Hall of Fame and received a National Medal of Arts. In 1996, Tallchief received a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievements. Her life has been the subject of multiple documentaries and biographies.
Million Dollar Mermaid, Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas, Firestone Dances: Historic Ballet Performances
Star Sign
Aquarius
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Fact
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Her father was an Osage Indian and her mother was of Scottish-Irish heritage.
2
Her sister, Marjorie Tallchief, also became a ballerina, spending most of her career in Europe.
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She had her first ballet lessons in Colorado Springs. She also studied piano and ballet with local teachers in Oklahoma. She briefly considered becoming a concert pianist.
She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1999 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
6
She was an American ballerina.
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Founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 and served as its artistic director (1981-1987).
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Starred with the New York City Ballet for 18 years.
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Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.
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Acknowledged as the most technically accomplished ballerina ever produced in America.
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Prima ballerina.
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Credits St. Exupery with her favorite quote: "If anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away".
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Of Osage Native American blood.
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
Season's Greetings
1953
TV Movie
Million Dollar Mermaid
1952
Pavlova
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Felia Doubrovska Remembered
2008
Video short
Herself
Felia Doubrovska Remembered: From Diaghilev's Ballets Russes to Balanchine's School of American Ballet
2008
Documentary short
Maria Tallchief
2007
TV Movie documentary
Herself
The Nutcracker Family: Behind the Magic
2006
Documentary
Ballets Russes
2005
Documentary
Herself
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts
2000
TV Special documentary
Herself
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts
1996
TV Special documentary
Herself - Honoree
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts