Marjorie Tallchief

Marjorie Louise Tallchief (born 1927 in Denver, Colorado) was a ballerina of the Osage Nation.

Career

Tallchief was the first American Indian to be "première danseuse étoile" of the Paris Opera Ballet and performed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.^[1] During her career she also performed for politicians such as John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, and Lyndon B. Johnson. After her retirement from the stage, she acted as a dance director for the Dallas Ballet, the Chicago Ballet School and the Harid Conservatory until 1993.^[1][2]

Accolades

In 1991 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In October 1997, Tallchief and her sister Maria, along with Moscelyne Larkin, Rosella Hightower, and Yvonne Chouteau, were named Oklahoma Treasures at the Governor's Arts Awards.^[3]

Personal life

She has two children with her husband, director and choreographer George Skibine, and currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The first step 32 students start dance training at Harid Conservatory...". Boca Raton News. 13 September 1988. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LMUPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e40DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4180,3639143&dq=marjorie-tallchief. Retrieved 16 September 2009. 
2. ^ "Breathing life through dance". Tulsa World. 15 July 2007. http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/itemsofinterest/centennial/centennial_storypage.asp?ID=070715_1_CE11_ATTSJ15125. Retrieved 16 September 2009. 
3. ^ "Oklahoma's Indian Ballerinas To Be Honored as Treasures". Tulsa World. 8 October 1997. http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=19971007_En_d7oklah. Retrieved 16 September 2009. 
4. ^ Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

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Name	Tallchief, Marjorie
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Date of birth	1927
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