Maria tallchief tribe
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Maria Tallchief
By Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow | 2017
In 1942, at the age of 17, Maria Tallchief moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer. With luck, grit and determination she joined the famed Ballet Russe Monte Carlo as an apprentice and moved quickly through the ranks, dancing first in the corps de ballet and later performing leading roles. In George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet, Tallchief achieved her goal of becoming America’s prima ballerina, the first Native American artist to achieve the rank.
Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was born January 24, 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her father was a member of the Osage Nation. Her mother, Ruth Porter, had grown up very poor and was never able to take dancing lessons. When Tallchief and her sister Marjorie showed interest in dancing their mother immediately placed them in lessons. Tallchief excelled at dance and music. During her teen years, the family moved to Los Angeles, California in hopes of securing advanced ballet training for their daughters and opportunities for them to dance professio
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Birth of Maria Tallchief
January 24, 1925
On this day in Osage country, the world renowned prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief, was born.
Elizabeth Marie Tallchief, or Betty Marie, was born on the Osage Reservation in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her father, Alex Tall Chief was a prominent Osage tribal member, while her mother, Ruth Porter Tall Chief, was of Scots-Irish descent.
At a young age, Betty Marie’s mother placed her in dance and piano classes along with her younger sister Marjorie with the hopes of raising “two musical dancing stars” (Tallchief). The Tall Chief sisters first studied dance under Mrs. Sabin, performing routines at her father’s movie theater in Fairfax and at local rodeos. This lasted until Ruth decided that it was time to move on from Fairfax, ultimately settling down again in Beverly Hills, California. It was while attending public school in Beverly Hills that Betty Marie decided to combine her last name into one word, Tallchief, after being constantly teased.
Upon their arrival to their new home, Ruth enrolled her daughters in dance classes once again. Until
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Maria Tallchief
American ballerina (1925–2013)
Maria Tallchief | |
|---|---|
Tallchief in 1961 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (1925-01-24)January 24, 1925 Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 2013(2013-04-11) (aged 88) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Prima ballerina |
| Years active | 1942–1966 |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] |
| Spouses | George Balanchine (m. 1946; ann. 1952)Elmourza Natirboff (m. 1952; div. 1954)Henry D. Paschen Jr. (m. 1956; died 2004) |
| Children | Elise Paschen |
| Career | |
| Former groups | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo New York City Ballet |
| Dances |
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Maria Tallchief, born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (𐓏𐒰𐓐𐒿𐒷-𐓍𐓂͘𐓄𐒰 "Two-Standards"; Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa, Osage script: 𐒼𐒱𐒹𐒻
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