Marjorie Tallchief (born Marjorie Louise Tall Chief; October 19, 1926November 30, 2021) was an American

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

and member of the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

. She was the younger sister of the late prima ballerina,

Maria Tallchief Elizabeth Marie Tallchief ( Osage family name: , Osage script: ; January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American ballerina. She was considered America's first major prima ballerina. She was the first Native American (Osage Nation) to ...

, and was the first Native American to be named "première danseuse étoile" in the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

.Short, Candy Franklin. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Marjorie Tallchief."
Retrieved December 9, 2012.

Early life

Tallchief was born October 19, 1926, in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado, while her parents, Alexander Tall Chief and his wife, Ruth (née Porter), were on a family vacation with her older siblings, brother Gerald and sister

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

. She grew up in

Fairfax, Oklahoma Fairfax is a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The Osage Nation reservation is coterminous with the county. The population was 1,380 at the 2010 census, down 11.3 percent from the figure of 1,555 recorded in 2000. It is notable as ...

, until 1933, when her family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

so she and her sister could train in ballet dancing. She trained with

Bronislava Nijinska Bronislava Nijinska (; pl, Bronisława Niżyńska ; russian: Бронисла́ва Фоми́нична Нижи́нская, Bronisláva Fomínična Nižínskaja; be, Браніслава Ніжынская, Branislava Nižynskaja; – Febr ...

and

David Lichine David Lichine (russian: Дэвид (Давид) Лишин; 25 October 1910 – 26 June 1972) was a Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer. He had an international career as a performer, ballet master, and choreographer, staging works fo ...

. Her father was a member of the

, while her mother was of Scottish-Irish descent.

Career

After completing her training in Los Angeles, Tallchief began performing for several dance companies. In the book ''American Indian Ballerinas,'' Lili Cockerille Livingston wrote that Tallchief had her professional debut with Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant's Ballet Theatre as a first year soloist, in 1944. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,'' these included: "the American ''Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo'' (1946–47), the ''Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas'' (1948–55), Ruth Page's Chicago Opera Ballet (guest artist, 1958–62), and the Harkness Ballet (prima ballerina, 1964–66). Her most acclaimed roles were performed in ''Night Shadow'' (1950), ''Annabel Lee'' (1951), ''Idylle'' (1954), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1955), and ''Giselle'' (1957)." Tallchief was the first American and Native American to be ''"première danseuse étoile"'' of the

and performed with the ''Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.'' During her career she also performed for dignitaries such as U.S. Presidents

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, and French President

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

. Tallchief taught at Dallas Civic Ballet Academy, later known as the Dallas Ballet. After her retirement from the stage, she acted as a dance director for the Dallas Ballet, the Chicago Ballet School, and the

Harid Conservatory The HARID Conservatory is a ballet professional-training school for high-school age students. It was established in 1987 and is located in Boca Raton, Florida. A four-year curriculum is offered that includes ballet and related dance courses. Acad ...

until 1993. She and her sister Maria also co-founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1980.

Accolades

In 1991, Tallchief was inducted into the

Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...

. In October 1997, she and her elder sister

, along with

Moscelyne Larkin Edna Moscelyne Larkin Jasinski (January 14, 1925 – April 25, 2012) was an American ballerina and one of the " Five Moons", Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma who gained international fame in the 20th century. After dancing with t ...

Rosella Hightower Rosella Hightower (January 10, 1920 – November 4, 2008) was an American ballerina and member of the Choctaw Nation who achieved fame in both the United States and Europe. Biography Rosella Hightower was born in Durwood, Carter County, Oklahoma ...

, and

Yvonne Chouteau Myra Yvonne Chouteau () (March 7, 1929 – January 24, 2016) was an American ballerina and one of the " Five Moons" or Native ''prima ballerinas'' of Oklahoma. She was the only child of Corbett Edward and Lucy Annette Chouteau. She was born March ...

, were named Oklahoma Treasures at the Governor's Arts Awards. A bronze statue of her along with the other

Five Moons The Five Moons were five Native American ballerinas from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who achieved international recognition during the 20th century. The five women were Myra Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin, and sisters Maria ...

were unveiled in 2007 on the grounds of the Tulsa Historical Society.

Personal life

Tallchief had two children with her husband, the

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

George Skibine George Boris SkibineGeorge Boris Skibine in ''South Carolina, Naturalization Records, 1868-1991'' (russian: Юрий Борисович Скибин; Yuri Borisovich Skibin; January 30, 1920 – January 14, 1981), also known as Youra Skibine, was ...

, whom she married in 1947."Tallchief, Marjorie (1927–)." ''Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages'', edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, vol. 2, Yorkin Publications, 2007, p. 1830. Gale eBooks. Accessed December 7, 2021. She lived in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

, where she died on November 30, 2021, at the age of 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallchief, Marjorie Osage people 1926 births 2021 deaths American ballerinas American people of Scotch-Irish descent American expatriates in France Prima ballerinas Five Moons People from Denver People from Fairfax, Oklahoma People from Greater Los Angeles Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Harkness Ballet dancers Dancers from Colorado Dancers from Oklahoma 20th-century American ballet dancers 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans