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 

Andrea Ghez

Harper


Today I will be talking about Andrea Ghez. She is an astronomer and is known for many things. She went to many schools and is very smart. First, I will tell you about her job and education, then her Nobel Prize, lastly, her family and life.


Andrea Mia Ghez is an American astrophysicist and professor at the University of Los Angeles, California. Her research focuses on the center of the Milky Way. She studied the birth of stars – particularly binary stars, witch form in pairs. She got her education at the California Institute of Technology, and Massachis Institute of Technology. In 2004, Ghez was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2019, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.


Ghez became the fourth women to be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. The Nobel Prize was awarded to her for the discovery of super – massive black hole in the center of our galaxy. The Nobel Prize was shared with Roger Penrose, and Reinhard Genzel, for their discoveries relating to black holes.


Andrea was born on June 16th, in New York, 1965. She was raised in Chicago and attended the University of Chicago Lab School. The Apollo programs Moon landings inspired her to be the first female astronaut, and her mother supported her goal. Andrea has two sons, the ages of 10, and 14. Her husband's name is Tom.


I really enjoy Andreas’ interests and discoveries. She is a remarkably interesting lady. Yes, she is still alive, now at age 57. I hope you enjoy her too.

Sources: Wikipedia