Maria Tallchief

  Harper  

 

Today I will be talking about Maria Tallchief. She was the first Native American to dance professional ballet. She became the first Prima Ballerina by George Balanchine. First, I will be talking about her early life, then her professional career, and lastly her retirement. 

Maria Tallchief was born on January 24th, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma. She was part of the Osage nation. When older, Maria and her sister wanted to take dance lessons. They became exceptionally good at it. During her teen years, her family moved to Los Angeles hoping that they could get better dance training. 

As her career began to take off, many tried to get her to change her last name, but she refused. She danced at many famous dance studios such as New York City Ballet, Ballet Russe, and Paris Opera Ballet. After marrying George Balanchine, she became Prima Ballerina of New York City Ballet. George created her beautiful role of the Firebird. One of her best-known roles was the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. 

Maria Tallchief retired in 1965 at the age of 40. She lived a long life, and died on April 11th, 2013, at the age of 88. 

In conclusion, Maria Tallchief lived a long happy life, living to succeed with her role of Prima Ballerina. She was an amazing dancer, and her life was a success, doing what she loved. 

THE END. 

 

Sources: Tallchief Americas Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief 

Wikipedia