One of the only women of her generation to be recognized as a prima ballerina, this woman danced her way to international acclaim.

Born in 1925 on an Osage Indian reservation in Oklahoma, Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief’s heritage was a blend of Osage and Scotch-Irish. When she and her sister demonstrated interest in dance at a young age, their mother quickly found them a class on the reservation. According to one account, at the age of 4 young Elizabeth was playing piano and dancing in toe shoes. The sisters continued their education in the arts into their teen years, when the family moved to Los Angeles so the girls could train under famous Russian ballerina Bronislava Nijinska. 

Upon high school graduation, Elizabeth moved to New York City to become a professional dancer. She joined Ballet Russe, a well known touring company. It was suggested there that she change her name to give the impression that she was Russian or to avoid discrimination. She refused to change much, choosing to go by the name Maria Tallchief. A year later she earned her first solo and there was no turning back.

She married choreographer George Balanchine in 1946 and together they revolutionized classical ballet around the world, continuing to work together even after their divorce. Becoming the prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, in 1954 she took on the starring role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the then-obscure ballet The Nutcracker. This served to launch the tradition of annual Christmas performances for the show that continue to this day. The first Native American to hold the title of prima ballerina, Maria continued to hold onto her Osage heritage throughout her dancing. She was given the title “Princess Wa-Txthe-thonba” meaning “the Woman of Two Standards” by the Osage Tribe Nation. Maria became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet and the first to perform at Russia’s Bolshoi Theater. 

She remarried in 1956 and became a mother, still dancing but not as prominently until her retirement from the New York City Ballet in 1966. Now living in Chicago with her family, the Lyric Opera enticed Maria to start a ballet school where she helped to create a touring troupe of dancers. She and her sister opened the Chicago City Ballet in 1980 where she was also artistic director. Maria later wrote her autobiography Maria Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina as well as a children’s book version.  

Maria was named Woman of the Year by the Washington Press in 1953. The National Women’s Hall of Fame inducted her in 1996, receiving a Kennedy Center Honor that same year. In 1999, she was presented the National Medal for the Arts by President Bill Clinton. After her death, she was inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame. 

View a virtual exhibit about her life here. There are many videos available to watch her dance, including this one for President John F. Kennedy. She is featured on a quarter issued by the U.S Mint this year celebrating American women. Read more about her in the books on my bookshelf here. This is an affiliate link; thank you for supporting my work.