KarunaNews Story

It’s impossible to tell the story of American ballet without giving credit to trailblazer Maria Tallchief, who would have turned 100 this year. The legendary dancer leapt and twirled her way to international stardom during the mid-20th century and is considered America’s first prima ballerina. Tallchief was born in 1925 to an affluent Osage family during a time when members of the Indigenous tribe were murdered by those seeking their oil rights. She grew up learning the traditional ways of her people from her grandmother and also learning piano. Her mother envisioned her a concert pianist, but Tallchief and her sister preferred ballet. “Through their artistic skill and discipline, these Osage sisters would become famous in the 20th century not as victims of colonial violence but as leading forces in the world of ballet and global culture,” David Helvarg said. The family moved in 1933 to Los Angeles, where Tallchief eventually studied under a famous choreographer. At 17, Tallchief moved to New York to be an apprentice for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was a soloist with the Ballet Russe, was the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, and eventually was the principal female dancer with the New York City Ballet. “From your very first plié, you are learning to become an artist. In every sense of the word, you are poetry in motion,” Tallchief once said. “And if you are fortunate enough … you are actually the music.”