Maria Tallchief Quarter

Most of the women honored by the American Women Quarters Program were fighters. They passionately championed their causes, sometimes at great personal risk.

Maria Tallchief (1925 – 2013) didn’t do that. She just danced.

Well, that’s not the whole story. Most of us dance, and we don’t end up on US currency. As it happens, Maria Tallchief would go on to become the first Native American to serve as prima ballerina, and her efforts largely shaped the direction of modern ballet.

So, let’s talk about the incredible life and legacy of Maria Tallchief, and why her simple mastery of dancing led to so many breakthroughs for her and people like her.

Biography

Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma on January 24, 1925. Her father was a member of the Osage Nation, and her mother descended from Scottish and Irish heritage.

In contrast to many Native American groups, the Osages around Fairfax were quite affluent. Tallchief’s great grandfather had played a major role in negotiating the tribe’s rights for various oil leases.

As a result, her father Alexander led a very privileged life. However, he was also a heavy drinker, and Maria’s home life was quite rocky, as her mother and father fought about his spending habits.

Both Tallchief and her sister, Marjorie, showed great early promise with their dancing talents. Indeed, both would become successful professional ballerinas, and Marjorie certainly had a career worthy of note in that realm. However, she didn’t reach the heights that her sister did.

The girls’ mother, Ruth Porter, wanted to aid her daughters in their quest for performing greatness. After both had several sporadic bits of training in their area of the country, Ruth decided to do something more impactful, and moved the family to Los Angeles to give the girls the opportunities to find the instruction they needed.

Crucially, Maria began training with several world-class instructors. First, she started at age 8 with Ernest Belcher, in whose studio she spent much of her time, rather than in school. As it happens, her decision to shorten her name to a single word was borne out of some rotten experiences in school.

Anyway, after a few years, she moved from Belcher onto a set of true visionary instructors. Under the tutelage of Bronislava Nijinska and David Lichine, she honed her craft to a level of professional expertise and ability.

After graduating from high school, the 17-year-old Tallchief worked her connections to secure an audition with the touring Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo – which was the premier Russian ballet tour in the United States. She moved to New York City in 1942 to pursue this opportunity.

Although she was initially passed over for a part, her American passport made her a surefire commodity against the crop of Russian ballerinas who struggled with their immigration status. She also drew the ire of the existing Russian ballerinas, who largely dismissed the American ballerinas as inferior.

The attention on her rose even higher as she performed her first show as prima ballerina in 1943. Granted, this first show was a production of her old instructor, Bronislava Nijinska, but after the lead ballerina quit, Tallchief was thrust into the premier role at only 18 years old.

During this period, Tallchief was pressured to change her name in order to avoid prejudice against her heritage. As she was still a bit salty about her earlier name change, she bristled at the idea and resolved to conduct her career as Maria Tallchief, for better or worse.

She also met well-known choreographer George Balanchine in these early days. The two quickly became a couple, marrying in 1946, and the two of them pushed each of their careers to new heights. Thanks to Balanchine, Tallchief became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, and she did so to great success – even in the eyes of the French.

She returned to New York City in 1947 to join the newly-formed New York City Ballet. She would ultimately spend the next 18 years with the company, primarily as prima ballerina.

Even though her marriage to Balanchine would ultimately be annulled in 1952, his direction and her athleticism pushed ballet into a different era. Her signature role as the title role in Firebird, was a Balanchine creation, and he served as her muse for much of the rest of her career.

Thanks to all of her presentations, Tallchief became an international superstar. In 1960, she became the first American to dance at the famed Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Critics often noted Tallchief technical precision and ability in commending her efforts.

Tallchief retired from dancing in 1965. She had no desire to dance beyond her prime. Instead, she moved to Chicago to open the Chicago Ballet Company with her sister, Marjorie. She also served as the artistic director for the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet.

Why Chicago? Well, after her first marriage was annulled, Tallchief had married a private airline pilot named Elmourza Natirboff. This marriage ended in divorce in 1954.

The third time proved to be the charm, however. She met Chicago businessman Henry D. “Buzz” Paschen, and their marriage in 1956 lasted until his death in 2004. The union produced Tallchief’s only child, Elise Paschen, who would become an incredibly well-known poet in her own right.

Tallchief lived well into the 21st century. In 2012, she broke her hip, and never truly recovered. She passed away from complications from the injury on April 11, 2013. She was 88.

Legacy

Maria Tallchief was certainly a pioneer in the world of ballet. She was the first Native American prima ballerina in the United States. She was the first American to dance with the Paris Grand Opera. She was the first American to dance with the Bolshoi Ballet. She was one of the very few superstars of ballet to gain fame that transcended her niche.

She, along with Balanchine, revolutionized the concept of what ballet dancing could be. Balanchine’s direction required a level of technical expertise, athleticism, and aggression that had not been seen in ballet prior.

Tallchief proved to be the perfect vessel for Balanchine. She was incredibly intelligent and athletic, and her signature look and height (5’9”) made her a striking and memorable figure.

Needless to say, she received much recognition both during and after her lifetime. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the National Native American Hall of Fame. In addition, she was awarded by the Kennedy Center for her lifetime achievements in 1996.

So, her inclusion on a coin is no surprise. She remains a revered figure in ballet to this day, and her coin is only a small bit of tribute to her incredible legacy.

The 2023 Quarter

The Maria Tallchief quarter is a testament to the two biggest elements of her contribution to society: ballet and her Native American heritage. Both are commemorated on the reverse of her 2023 quarter, which was the last of the 2023 series and the tenth coin to be released as part of the program.

The obverse of this quarter keeps it solidly within the overall era of quarters – the Washington era. George Washington has been the standardbearer for the twenty-five cent piece since 1932.

However, the reverse of the coin depicts Maria Tallchief in the midst of a graceful, elegant, and glorious balletic leap. Her hair streams behind her as she flies through the air.

Below, her name is inscribed, both in its common format and in the script of the Osage Nation. The reverse finishes with, among other things, the typical American coin motto e pluribus unum.