Maria Tallchief

America's very first prima ballerina.

Maria Tallchief, daughter of Tall Cheif of the Osage tribe, began formal dance lessons at the age of 3. From there she never stopped. Her family furthered her dancing career by moving to Los Angeles. She graduated from high school and moved to New York City where career would explode.

She became a member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo under Serge Denham. He tried to convince her to change her name to something more russian but she refused. She was incredibly proud of her native american heritage.

George Balachine took over the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo marking the turning point of Maria's career. She was astonished by his talent and creativity. She became a "featured soloist" as Balanchine cast her in works such as "Danses Concertantes," "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," "Ballet Imperial," and "Le Baiser de la Fee." He fell for her and asked for her hand and she agreed after some thought (annulled soon after).

In 47, she went with Balanchine to France where he cast her in performances he was choreographing for the Paris Opera Ballet. Maria Tallchief became the first American to perform with the famed Paris troupe. Her colleagues did not appreciate Tallchief's presence, but audiences did.

When they returned she quickly became one of the first stars of the New York Ballet. Balanchine's productions with roles made for her made her America's first prima ballerina.

She turned "The Nutcracker" into a christmas tradition with her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She also starred in "Swan Lake," "Orpheus," "Sylvia Pas de Deux", "Allegro Brillante," "Pas de Dix," and "Scotch Symphony." Her ability and talent also established Balanchine as the era's most prominent and influential choreographer.

She stayed with the New York Ballet for a while but visited other companies. She was the first American to dance at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

She was a star. She appeared on many television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show. One of her last performances was a title role in Peter van Dyke's "Cinderella" in '66.

She retired soon after and later began to teach. She founded Lyric Opera's Ballet School in Chicago and taught Balanchine's method and in '81, with her sister, she founded the Chicago City Ballet (it failed soon after). But, The Chicago Tribune called her "a force in the history of Chicago dance" and said she arguably increased the popularity of dance in the city.

She died on April 11, 2013, from complications stemming from a hip injury.