Maria Tallchief

Hello! My name is Maria Tallchief, and I was one of America's first great ballerinas. I was born on January 24th, 1925, in a small town called Fairfax, Oklahoma. My father was a member of the Osage Nation, and I was very proud of my Native American heritage. From the time I was a little girl, I loved to move. I took my first ballet lessons when I was only three years old. I also learned to play the piano. When I was eight, in 1933, my family moved all the way to California so my sister and I could study with dance teachers.

When I was a teenager, around 1942, I joined a famous traveling dance company called the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Some people thought my last name, Tallchief, was unusual for a ballerina. They wanted me to change it to something that sounded more Russian, but I refused. I was proud of my family and my Osage name. A few years later, in 1948, I joined a brand new company in New York City led by a famous choreographer named George Balanchine. It was called the New York City Ballet, and I became its very first star, the prima ballerina.

Being a prima ballerina was hard work, but it was also magical. George Balanchine created special dances just for me. In 1949, I starred in a ballet called 'The Firebird'. I got to dance the part of a powerful, magical bird, and it made me famous all over the world. Maybe you've heard of another ballet I starred in. In 1954, I was the very first dancer to play the Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine's new version of 'The Nutcracker'. Today, that ballet is a holiday favorite for families everywhere.

I danced on stage for many years before retiring in 1966. But I didn't stop loving ballet. In 1981, I started my own ballet company in Chicago to teach a new generation of dancers. I lived to be 88 years old. Today, people remember me for my fiery dancing and for breaking barriers. I showed everyone that a girl from the Osage Nation in Oklahoma could become a star and be celebrated as America's first great prima ballerina. I hope my story inspires you to follow your own dreams, no matter where you come from.