Maria Tallchief was born in Oklahoma, on the Osage Indian reservation. At the age of three Maria began taking piano and ballet lessons at a local studio. Maria’s Mother knew from the moment Maria was born that she was destined to be a dancer. At the age of 12, Maria and her family moved to Southern California to continue her ballet education. Upon graduating high school, Maria decided not to go to college, but instead to join the world renowned “Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo.” None of the dancers in Ballet Russe appreciated Maria because of her Indian Heritage. A few years later a great man by the name of George Balanchine noticed Maria’s impeccable talent. He offered her a contract to join his ballet company “The Balanchine Society”, formally known as “New York City Ballet.”

While in residence with New York City Ballet Maria became one of the best ballerinas the world had ever seen. People came from all around the world to see Maria perform. All of Maria’s hard work and sweat had paid off. Maria performed in front of packed audiences every day, while critics raved on her dancing. Maria’s amazing career came to an unfortunate end when she injured her back severely, causing her to resign from her prima ballerina position at New York City Ballet. In 1999, Maria Tallchief was presented with the award for best female dancer by the National Endowment of the arts. Maria’s passion and hard work led to her fame.
Maria Tallchief is my ultimate hero. She showed that with enough passion and hard work one can achieve his or her own dreams. Her choice to learn from the best and find her own inner dance spirit shows of her endless dedication to this art. Her dedication and drive are inspirational to all aspects of life. Everyone should work hard at anything they strive to accomplish. Whether a dancer, writer, or football player, with a lot of passion and hard work anything can happen.