Maria Tallchief, born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief (ππ°ππΏπ·-ππΝππ° "Two-Standards"; Osage family name: Ki He Kah Stah Tsa, Osage script: πΌπ±πΉπ»πΌπ°-πππ·ππ·; January 24, 1925 β April 11, 2013), was an Osage and American ballerina. She was America's first major prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold the rank. Together with Georgian-American choreographer George Balanchine, she is widely considered to have revolutionized American ballet.
