Despite assumptions to the contrary, Tallchief showed that Indigenous people could not just exceed the standards of Western arts but also set new ones, writes a scholar of Indigenous cultures.
On Nov. 27, 1949, prima ballerina Maria Tallchief waited for her cue in the wings of the City Center in downtown Manhattan, preparing to take the stage in the New York City Ballet ’s premiere of “Firebird.”
She and her younger sister Marjorie were both acclaimed ballerinas who dazzled audiences around the globe from the 1940s-1960s, a time when most Americans wrongly assumed that Indigenous people were unable to participate in modern life. During this era, Congress passed legislation aimed at erasing Indigenous nations’ rights of self-governance, and scholars contributed to the stereotype that Indigenous people would lose their cultural and political traditions.
She excelled in Ballet Russe’s corps de ballet , mastering the technique and stage presence necessary to earn the rank of soloist. However, there was one practice that other famous dancers had adopted that Tallchief rebuffed, and that was changing her last name to “Tolchieva,” or “Tallchieva” to sound more “Russian,” as Russians were thought to be the most talented dancers. She was proud of her last name and her heritage and refused to bend to company pressure to conform.
In her memoir “America’s First Prima Ballerina,” Tallchief recalls that the premiere of “Firebird” was a make-or-break moment for the fledgling ballet company, for whom “seasons were brief, money was tight.”
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