Maria Tallchief
Maria Tallchief ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ท-๐๐อ๐๐ฐ | |
|---|---|
Tallchief in 1961 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief January 24, 1925 Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 2013 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Prima ballerina |
| Years active | 1942โ1966 |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Spouses | Elmourza Natirboff
โ โ (m. 1952; div. 1954)Henry D. Paschen Jr.
โ โ (m. 1956; died 2004) |
| Children | Elise Paschen |
| Career | |
| Former groups | Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo New York City Ballet |
| Dances |
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Maria Tallchief, born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (๐๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ท-๐๐อ๐๐ฐ "Two-Standards"; Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa, Osage script: ๐ผ๐ฑ๐น๐ป๐ผ๐ฐ-๐๐๐ท๐๐ท; January 24, 1925 โ April 11, 2013), was an Osage and American ballerina. She was America's first major prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold the rank. Together with Georgian-American choreographer George Balanchine, she is widely considered to have revolutionized American ballet.