The life of the legendary ballerina Maria Tallchief is told in her own words. Her fascinating memoir is the story of the rigors and pleasures of a dancer's life--an artist's rapid rise to fame that began on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Tallchief introduced ballet to the American public and became George Balanchine's wife and muse. Recipient of the 1996 Kennedy Center Honor. of photos.
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The life of the legendary ballerina Maria Tallchief is told in her own words. Her fascinating memoir is the story of the rigors and pleasures of a dancer's life--an artist's rapid rise to fame that began on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Tallchief introduced ballet to the American public and became George Balanchine's wife and muse. Recipient of the 1996 Kennedy Center Honor. of photos.
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The book came to me in rural England via Alibris from Richard Dawson Books in Munster, Indiana. It is a thick, chunky book with a glamorous b/w photo of the ballerina, taken by Maurice Seymour. The title is in bold, gold letters and the subtitle in white. There are 334 pages of heavy cream papers and a typeface that is easy on the eye.
To someone like me, Red Indian/Native American ancestry is both unusual and exotic. Maria comes across as a warm, generous spirited woman who loves life. She chronicles the development of the NYCB from an intimate standpoint - she was married to George Balanchine and counted Stravinsky amongst her friends. I have read a lot about George Balanchine: clearly he was a genius, but he has always appeared to me rather cold, selfish, immature and humourless. Maria Tallchief presents an altogether softer, calmer personality.
This biography is a completely enjoyable read filled with many interesting characters from the dance world. In fact, I rate it as one of my favourite ballerina biographies ever!