Maria Tallchief: One of America's Most Popular Ballerinas from the Native American Tribe

Elizabeth Marie Tallchief was born on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her father was a member of the Osage Nation, and her mother, Ruth Porter, had grown up in poverty and never had the chance to take a single dance lesson herself. That personal history made Ruth determined to give her daughters every opportunity she had been denied. When Maria and her younger sister Marjorie began showing a natural talent for movement and music, Ruth wasted no time enrolling them both in lessons.

When Maria was eight years old, the family left Fairfax and moved to Los Angeles, California. The relocation was a deliberate decision aimed at putting the two sisters in front of better teachers and bigger opportunities. In Los Angeles, Maria studied under Ernest Belcher and later with the highly regarded Bronislava Nijinska. She also showed exceptional skill at the piano and, because of her perfect pitch, seriously considered a career as a concert pianist. In the end, ballet won out.

At 17, Tallchief left Los Angeles for New York City with the goal of dancing professionally. The path was far from smooth. She moved from company to company, and several rejected her outright because of her Native American background. The discrimination was open and direct. Still, she kept auditioning. In 1942, her break arrived when a leading ballerina abruptly left a production and Tallchief stepped in to fill the role. Top critics praised her performance, and her career began to take shape.

As her reputation grew, people in the dance world urged her to change her last name, arguing that a name that read as Native American would continue to hold her back with certain companies. Tallchief refused every time. She continued to perform under her own name and built her career on her terms. That decision carried real weight in an industry where discrimination was common and expected.

In 1947, Tallchief became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet — a milestone no American dancer, male or female, had reached before her. Around the same time, she married the choreographer George Balanchine. Their professional partnership proved to be one of the most significant in American ballet history. Balanchine crafted the role of the Firebird specifically for her, and her performance in that production transformed her into a prima ballerina of international standing.

Tallchief joined the New York City Ballet in 1948 and became its defining star. Her performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s production of The Nutcracker is considered one of her most iconic roles. She also performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, making her one of a very small number of Western dancers to appear on that stage during the Cold War era. She appeared on multiple television programs as well, bringing ballet to audiences well beyond the concert hall.

Her marriage to Balanchine lasted five years. The two worked together effectively as creative partners long after their personal relationship ended. Tallchief later married Henry C. Paschen Jr., with whom she had a daughter, Elise Paschen, who would go on to become a poet and writer.

Throughout her career, Tallchief performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. She danced at London’s Covent Garden, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and the Deauville Casino in France. She also performed regularly across the United States, including on the South Lawn of the White House during a state dinner rehearsal for German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard.

The honors she received reflected both her artistry and her standing as a public figure. She won the Washington Press Women of the Year Award twice and received the Annual Dance Magazine Award. The Osage Nation bestowed on her the name Princess Wa-Xthe-Thonba, meaning Woman of Two Standards, in recognition of her achievements both inside and outside her tribal community. The Oklahoma Legislature declared June 29, 1953, Maria Tallchief Day.

In 1991, a mural called Flight of Spirit was installed in the Oklahoma State Capitol, depicting Tallchief’s sister Marjorie and four other Oklahoma-born Native American prima ballerinas. Maria herself received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996, one of the highest distinctions given to American artists. She served as director of Chicago’s Lyric Opera Ballet from 1973 to 1979, and then founded the Chicago City Ballet with her sister Marjorie, running it from 1980 to 1987.

During the early 1960s, Tallchief was at the height of her fame, performing a wide range of roles and appearing alongside some of the biggest names in ballet. She danced with Danish star Erik Bruhn in Swan Lake, Black Swan, Flower Festival at Genzano, and Miss Julie. She also performed alongside Rudolf Nureyev, who had recently defected from the Soviet Union, and shared the stage with Margot Fonteyn at a Royal Academy of Dancing charity event in 1960.

Tallchief never downplayed her Native American identity. Even as she achieved recognition in European opera houses — becoming the first American prima ballerina to do so — she spoke openly against discrimination and remained connected to her Osage heritage. In 1961, the Seminole Tribe of Florida honored her with a certificate granting her hunting rights on their reservation, a gesture that crossed tribal lines in recognition of her standing as a Native American public figure.

After retiring from dancing, Tallchief turned her energy toward teaching and administration. The Chicago City Ballet, which she built alongside her sister Marjorie, gave her a new platform to shape the next generation of dancers. She held the position of director there until 1987. Even in retirement, she remained vocal about the obstacles she had faced and was willing to name discrimination directly when speaking about her career.

Maria Tallchief died on April 11, 2013, in Chicago, at the age of 88. She was survived by her daughter Elise Paschen, her sister Marjorie, and two grandchildren. Following her death, Elise Paschen released a statement: “My mother was a ballet legend who was proud of her Osage heritage. Her dynamic presence lit up the room. I will miss her passion, commitment to her art and devotion to her family. She raised the bar high and strove for excellence in everything she did.”