Maria Tallchief Research Paper

Maria Tallchief: American Ballerina “People in the world of dancing considered her special. But outside the world sometimes she encountered prejudice… Maria was teased because she was Native American,” (Bardham, “The Osage Firebird”). Maria Tallchief was born on January 24th, 1925 to a wealthy Native American family in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her family relocated to Los Angeles when she was eight years old, and there she was able to train in ballet with professional dancers such as David Lichine and Bronislava Nijinska. Tallchief’s career really boosted when she met the infamous Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine. Balanchine made Tallchief into the first star of the New York City Ballet and the first prima ballerina of the United States (“Maria Tallchief”, UXL Biographies). Tallchief starred in ballets choreographed by Balanchine, such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker; her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker became so famous that the ballet became a part of every future ballet company’s repertoire and a heartwarming family tradition for Christmastime (“Ballerina Maria Tallchief dead at 88”, UPI Entertainment).
Tallchief’s partnership with George Balanchine transformed the world of ballet by breaking
Audiences and critics alike referred to her as the greatest American ballerina in the history of ballet,” (Bardham, “Woman of Two Worlds”). Because Tallchief was said to be the greatest American ballerina, this title implies that she was in fact inspiring to everyone who saw her perform. “I was Woman of the Year, I was at the White House dancing. I was constantly in the magazines among the Top Ten Women… of course, this is what Balanchine did for me,” said Maria Tallchief herself in an interview. She described how she became a star as a result of her work with George Balanchine. Through that, she had the ability to inspire future generations of dancers (Duffie, “Conversation Piece: Prima Ballerina Maria