Maria Tallchief.

Born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma, on the Osage Reservation, Tallchief was the daughter of Alexander Joseph Tall Chief, an Osage Indian, and a mother of Scottish-Irish heritage. She began ballet lessons in Colorado Springs and also studied piano, briefly considering a career as a concert pianist. Her father’s background as an Osage and her mother’s mixed heritage gave her a unique cultural perspective that later informed her artistry.

Tallchief joined the School of American Ballet and became the muse of choreographer George Balanchine, whom she married in 1946. In 1954, she created the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, transforming the ballet into a holiday staple. For 18 years, she starred with the New York City Ballet, becoming America’s first prima ballerina. She also appeared in films such as Million Dollar Mermaid 1952 and television shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.

Tallchief was married three times: to George Balanchine from 1946 to 1951, to Elmourza Natirboff from 1952 to 1954, and to Henry D. Paschen Jr. from 1956 until his death in 2004. She had one daughter, Elise Paschen, who became a poet. Her sister, Marjorie Tallchief, also became a ballerina, spending most of her career in Europe.

Tallchief was the first American to achieve prima ballerina status and the first Native American to do so. In 1981, she co-founded the Chicago City Ballet, serving as its artistic director until 1987. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1999. She is most remembered for originating the Sugar Plum Fairy role, a performance that defined The Nutcracker tradition.