Maria Tallchief (1925-2013) was the first Indigenous ballerina in history to receive international recognition. She was the highest paid ballet dancer in her time and gave new life to the American ballet scene.
Maria Tallchief (1925-2013) was the first Indigenous ballerina in history to receive international recognition. She was the highest paid ballet dancer in her time and gave new life to the American ballet scene.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
Today we’re talking about the first Indigenous ballerina in history to receive international recognition. She was the highest paid ballet dancer in her time and gave new life to the American ballet scene.
Let’s talk about Maria Tallchief.
Maria was born Elizabeth Marie Tallchief on January 24th, 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her father, Alexander, was a member of the Osage tribe and her mother, Ruth, was of Scots-Irish descent. Maria had an older brother George and a younger sister Marjorie.
Growing up, Maria lived an affluent life. When her father was a boy, oil was discovered on Osage land and the tribe became quite wealthy. Maria recalled in her memoir that she felt her father “owned the town.” From the local movie theater to the pool hall, he had property across town. Her family also owned a summer house in Colorado Springs, where Maria had her first ballet lesson at the age of 3.
The arts were important to Maria’s family. She and her sister learned concert piano alongside dance from a young age. But dance quickly became their focus. When Maria was 8 years old, her family moved to Los Angeles. The day they arrived, Maria went to a drugstore with her mom and sister to get some snacks. While waiting for their order, Maria’s mom asked the clerk if he knew of any dance teachers in the neighborhood. He recommended Ernest Belcher, the father of the famous TV star, Marge Champion.
They took his recommendation and from there, her future began to unfold. Maria later recounted in her memoir, “an anonymous man in an unfamiliar town decided our fate with those few words.”
At 12 years old, Maria began rigorous training under the tutelage of the renowned Polish dancer, Bronislava Nijinska. Despite the intensity, Maria received special encouragement from her teacher.
In the height of World War II, Maria signed on to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in New York. Her colleagues often tried to convince Maria to change her name to sound more eastern European. But Maria refused to change Tallchief to Tolchieva. She was proud of her Osage surname. Instead, she changed Marie to Maria and called it a day.
Maria danced in several ensembles and musicals. She made a name for herself as she pioneered balletic Americana.
She began to catch the eye of George Balanchine, a famous Georgian choreographer. Their fondness of each other’s genius led the two to marry in 1946.
Their relationship wasn’t necessarily steamy and passionate. Maria said “Passion and romance didn’t play a big part in our married life. We saved our emotions for the classroom.”.”
Together, they were an unstopp able force. Balanchine created several noteworthy roles for Maria. Her most celebrated performance was perhaps the title role in Firebird, an elaborate dance based on Russian folklore.
Within four years of their marriage, the couple divorced. They still maintained a working relationship. From 1954 to 1955, Maria returned to Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. There she received a $2,000 per week salary from the company, the most any ballet dancer had ever been paid.
Though she was earning a lot of money, Maria grew disappointed with the company and left after just one season. She moved instead to the New York City Ballet where she remained for another decade. In 1956 she married Henry Paschen, a wealthy construction executive. The couple had one daughter, Elisa, together.
In 1965, Maria thought she’d retire completely from ballet. But 9 years later, the Lyric Opera of Chicago hired Maria to teach a group of touring dancers. Later Maria and her sister made their own ballet house, the Chicago City Ballet in 1980.
Maria received high praise and recognition throughout her life. She was inducted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1996. The Oklahoma State Senate also declared June 29 Maria Tallchief Day. Maria passed away at the age of 88.
All month, we’re honoring the legacies of Indigenous women.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!