Maria Tallchief

Tallchief, Maria (1925– ), U.S. ballet dancer, of Native American and European ancestry. With her debut as a dancer for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1942), she became the first U.S. dancer of prominence in Europe—then the ballet center of the world. As a dancer with the New York City Ballet (1947–65), she performed the female lead in many of the ballets choreographed by George Balanchine. The ballet Firebird (1949) became her signature role. The Chicago City Ballet was established by her (1980), and for the first 7 years she was its artistic director.

See also: Ballet.