EARLY LIFE
Maria was the first Prima Ballerina she danced for kings, queens, and presidents.
Her mother thought that she would be fit for playing the piano and her sister Marjorie
would be able to be the ballerina. Maria didn't want to play the piano even though she knew how so she kept on dancing.
Maria Tallchief was born on January 24,1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma she was Native American that was raised in an Osage reserve. When Maria was five her mom took her and her sister to ballet school. Their dance teacher didn't start with the basic steps she made them go in el pointe which is on their tip of their toes which could damage their toes.When Maria was five her feet did hurt but she could not tell her mother or she would most likely take her out of ballet class. Her dad owned a movie theater and a pool but they still didn't get money. So they moved to Los Angeles three years in 1933 later and Maria went to a new school but she didn't like that school because she was smarter then everybody and nobody would be her friend and she was often board in school. She and her sister got a new ballet school. As soon as they started they started in el pointe but their new dance teacher said its not good to be on el pointe at a very young age so he told them to froget everything their old dance teacher taught and he started them with the basics.
Her mother thought that she would be fit for playing the piano and her sister Marjorie
would be able to be the ballerina. Maria didn't want to play the piano even though she knew how so she kept on dancing.
Maria Tallchief was born on January 24,1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma she was Native American that was raised in an Osage reserve. When Maria was five her mom took her and her sister to ballet school. Their dance teacher didn't start with the basic steps she made them go in el pointe which is on their tip of their toes which could damage their toes.When Maria was five her feet did hurt but she could not tell her mother or she would most likely take her out of ballet class. Her dad owned a movie theater and a pool but they still didn't get money. So they moved to Los Angeles three years in 1933 later and Maria went to a new school but she didn't like that school because she was smarter then everybody and nobody would be her friend and she was often board in school. She and her sister got a new ballet school. As soon as they started they started in el pointe but their new dance teacher said its not good to be on el pointe at a very young age so he told them to froget everything their old dance teacher taught and he started them with the basics.
Later in Life
In 1942 she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1946 she married Balanchine, the company's choreographer, or dance arranger. The couple soon moved to New York City. There Balanchine founded what later became the New York City Ballet. With that company Tallchief became known for her performances in The Firebird and The Nutcracker. For one season she was the prima ballerina, or lead dancer. Tallchief retired as a dancer in 1965. She then taught ballet and directed the Lyric Opera Ballet in Chicago. In 1980 Tallchief and her sister, who was also a dancer, founded the Chicago City Ballet. The company lasted until 1987.