#Maria Tallchief

[forever70s]

Maria Tallchief, first Native American (Osage) prima ballerina, looking over mementos of her dance career in 1971

[balanchine-ballet-master]

Francisco Moncion as Coffee, Tanaquil Le Clercq as Dew Drop, and Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy, City Center, 1954. Balanchine's original Coffee variation was for a man.

Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt

[barbielore]

Every time I do one of these I straight-up forget what tag I decided on for these posts...

Now we're into December I thought I would do another new release round-up post! These posts are just to talk about any of the recent Barbie Signature collector doll releases I feel I have an opinion on - even if that opinion is just "I think this looks cool".

Also sometimes I discuss the releases in a weird order, because I will sometimes just get tunnel visioned on a certain doll and then not include another that is deserving of discussion.

Anyway.

There are two recent celebrity likeness dolls released: one in the Inspiring Women series and the other in the Tribute Collection. The difference between these two series is relatively subtle: in Mattel's words, the Tribute Collection honours "visionaries whose incredible contributions have helped shape and impact culture", while the Inspiring Women line celebrates "trailblazing women throughout history".

The Inspiring Women newest release is Maria Tallchief, both America's first prima ballerina and, as an Osage woman, the first Native American prima ballerina. Her outfit, as pictured above, was based on her debut in The Firebird.

The Tribute Collection doll celebrates Rita Moreno, EGOT winner and, of course, Anita from the 1961 West Side Story film and Valentina from the 2021 West Side Story.

The only designer credited on Mattel's website is Javi Meabe, but according to some sources, like this PopInsider article, Moreno herself had a key role in the design. Moreno shared the doll on Instagram with a very appreciative caption.

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A post shared by Rita Moreno (@theritamoreno)

Besides these two celebrity dolls, the other big news from the Barbie Signature line is the release of the collectible MyScene dolls.

Specifically Chelsea, Barbie and Madison.

For some reason, I've never done a post about MyScene. I think because the line totally missed me when it first came out and I never had any kind of investment in it.

[madlysage]

the way maria tallchief was THE FIRST major american prima ballerina while being an openly indigenous woman in the 1940s and 50s! Go my osage queen!!!! we need to talk about her more she means everything to me

[swanlake1998]

portrait of maria tallchief

[hibiscusbabyboy]

1950s Balletcore

[dollshobby]

Barbie Inspiring Women series honors Maria Tallchief: America's First Prima Ballerina

The Inspiring Women Barbie series has introduced a new collectible doll that honors Maria Tallchief, an icon of American ballet and the first Native American woman to be awarded the title of prima ballerina.

This collectible doll not only highlights Tallchief's remarkable achievements in the world of ballet, but also serves as a wonderful reminder of her influence on Indigenous art, culture and representation.

[thatbitchsimone]

[fizzigigsimmer]

If you ever wanted to know why The Nutcracker ballet is such a huge phenomenon, you can thank, Maria Tallchief, one of the "Five Moons". She also founded Ballet Chicago 🥰 There are some larger problems with the fact that american ballet companies rely on ticket sales and private investment and are not state funded (a whole other post) but we can thank The Nutcracker's smashing success with American audiences for ballet having a home here at all. This one show is still what keeps most companies afloat. So yes, support unions who are fighting for better pay, benefits, and work conditions for dancers. But as I don't see our government investing in the preservation and cultivation of the arts anytime soon... if you can swing a ticket only once a year, I think more people should know this history and just how far this one ticket actually reaches.

[delusionsandrainbows]

Maria Tallchief

[abwwia]

Maria Tallchief was an American ballerina.

https://palianshow.wordpress.com/2021/11/25/maria-tallchief-ki-he-kah-stah-tsa/

Elizabeth Marie Tallchief (Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa; 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 hold the rank, and is said to have revolutionized ballet.

post on instagram: (aug 2021)

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A post shared by Art by Women - Women in Arts (@art.by.women_women.in.arts)

#NativeAmericanHeritage #MariaTallchief #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

[valkyries-things]

MARIA TALLCHIEF // BALLERINA

“She was an American ballerina. She was considered America's first major prima ballerina. She was the first Native American (Osage Nation) to hold the rank, and is said to have revolutionized ballet. Almost from birth, Tallchief was involved in dance, starting formal lessons at age three. When George Balanchine co-founded what would become the New York City Ballet in 1946, Tallchief became the company's first star. The combination of Balanchine's difficult choreography and Tallchief's passionate dancing revolutionized the ballet. Her 1949 role in The Firebird catapulted Tallchief to the top of the ballet world, establishing her as a prima ballerina. Her role as the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker transformed the ballet from obscure to America's most popular. She traveled the world, becoming the first American to perform in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater.”

[carmenvicinanza]

Maria Tallchief

Maria Tallchief è stata una delle più importanti ballerine del ventesimo secolo e la prima danzatrice nativa americana della storia.

Osannata per la sua velocità, energia e passione unite a una grande abilità tecnica, è stata nominata donna dell’anno dal presidente degli Stati Uniti Eisenhower nel 1953, inserita nella National Women’s Hall of Fame, ha ricevuto la National Medal of Arts e il Kennedy Center Honor alla carriera.

È stata la prima ballerina americana a esibirsi all’Opéra di Parigi e al Bolshoi di Mosca.

Nacque il 24 gennaio 1925 a Fairfax, in Oklaoma. Il padre, Alexander Joseph Tall Chief era un ricco discendente della tribù Osage mentre sua madre, Ruth Porter, aveva origini scozzesi e irlandesi.

Trascorse i primi anni della sua vita in una casa in collina che affacciava sulla riserva indiana.

L’amore per la musica e la danza venne coltivato sin da quando era una bambina. Quando la famiglia si trasferì a Los Angeles, per consentire alle figlie di studiare, venne iscritta alla scuola di danza della coreografa russa Bronislava Nijinska. Era ancora un’adolescente quando si convinse che quella era la strada che voleva intraprendere, abbandonando gli studi di pianoforte, iniziati da piccola.

A 17 anni, con l’insegnante e amica di famiglia Tatiana Riabouchinska, si trasferì a New York, dove entrò nella compagnia Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

In un’epoca in cui danzatori e danzatrici statunitensi adottavano nomi di scena russi, lei portava avanti con orgoglio il suo patrimonio indiano. Ha sempre rivendicato il suo lignaggio opponendosi a stereotipi e discriminazioni nei riguardi delle persone native.

Lo stato dell’Oklaoma l’ha celebrata più volte e il 29 giugno 1953 le aveva dedicato una giornata, il Maria Tallchief Day.

Nel 1944 ha cominciato a danzare dal coreografo George Balanchine, suo futuro marito, con cui ebbe inizio una fortunata collaborazione artistica durata anche dopo la loro separazione.

Quando lui, nel 1947, distaccatosi dal Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, aveva creato la sua compagnia, il New York City Ballet, Maria Tallchief ne divenne la star incontrastata.

L’unione tra le difficili coreografie del compagno e il suo appassionato modo di danzare rivoluzionarono il balletto. Era perfetta per i ruoli che richiedevano atletismo, velocità, aggressività. La sua elettrizzante interpretazione in L’uccello di fuoco nel 1949, la rese una vera star. 

La sua Fata Confetto nello Schiaccianoci ha contribuito a trasformare il balletto in un classico annuale di Natale. 

Ha collaborato con Balanchine fino al 1965 mentre faceva tour mondiali con altre compagnie come il Balletto dell’Opera di Chicago, il San Francisco Ballet, il Balletto Reale Danese, il Balletto di Amburgo e l’American Ballet Theatre. Ha rappresentato Anna Pavlova nel film Million Dollar Mermaid con Esther Williams. 

Nel 1962, durante il suo debutto sulla televisione americana al Bell Telephone Hour, è nata la collaborazione con Rudolf Nureyev. Insieme hanno ballato il pas de deux da Infiorata a Genzano di August Bournonville.

Dopo il ritiro dalla danza, nel 1966, si era trasferita a Chicago dove ha diretto la Lyric Opera fino al 1979.

Nel 1981, ha fondato, con la sorella Marjorie, il Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet, di cui è stata direttrice artistica fino al 1987.

Dal 1990 è stata consulente artistica onoraria del Chicago Festival Ballet di Ken Von Heideke.

È morta a Chicago a causa delle complicanze di una rottura al bacino, l’11 aprile 2013, aveva 88 anni.

La sua vita ha ispirato diversi documentari e biografie. 

[cyndeliat]

Maria Tallchief and Francisco Moncion in Firebird, 1964 ph. Martha Swope

[swanlake1998]

maria tallchief photographed coaching wendy whelan and damian woetzel for balanchine's the four temperaments by brian rushton

[juniperusashei]

Maria Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief with Larry Kaplan - 4/5

Maria Tallchief was considered the first prima ballerina from America, performing with George Balanchine mostly in the 40s and 50s. Interestingly, she was also Native American, part of the Osage tribe, and the fact that diversity has been something that always existed counter to the narrative that progress is recent is what interested me in her autobiography. That being said, identity was thankfully not a focus of the book. In her own words: “above all, I wanted to be appreciated as a prima ballerina who happened to be a Native American, never as someone who was an American Indian ballerina,” a nuance that has probably become harder and harder to grasp with time.

Tallchief’s prose is simple, and the book’s strengths lie in its content rather than craft as an autobiography. It’s extremely readable, and I’m surprised no one has made an Oscar-bait biopic adaptation as of yet! But while some of the most macabre and disturbing details delighted me, (my favorite being an anecdote about coworker Olga Spessivtseva “eating real bird’s nests she’d somehow find for breakfast every day,”) much of the book was about the political side of ballet as an art. The myriad of Balanchine choreographies she danced got confusing until I started listening to selections from the score as I read, and found a lot of cool music that way!