1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: And I'm Tracy V. Wilson. And today's topic was actually 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: suggested by Tracy. She has been looking for more Native 5 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: American topics because she wanted to work on something uh 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,159 Speaker 1: in that arena, and she came across this one. But 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: then she asked me if I would like to do 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: the research on it because it involves ballet, and my 9 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: answer was, of course, maye uh. And there's a person 10 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: that I have long and mireed. So the woman that 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: we're focusing on today is often referred to as a 12 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: trailblazer because she was a Native American who became the 13 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: prima ballerina for the New York City Ballet. But she 14 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: was a trailblazer period, even if you discount her Native 15 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: American heritage, not that you should, but because she was 16 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: the first prima ballerina ever at the New York City Ballet, 17 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: and she's often considered America's first prima allerina, she really 18 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: set the bar for everyone who came after her, and 19 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: she said it extremely high. She was really a role 20 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: model for artists from all backgrounds to strive for excellence 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: and no matter you know what your upbringing, her cultural heritage, 22 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: she was just an amazing beacon of artistry and brilliance 23 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: and creativity. And she is considered, as I said, to 24 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: be the first grand ballerina of the United States. So 25 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: we were talking today about Maria tal Chief. So her 26 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: birth name was Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief, and that was 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: originally two words. She was born to Alexander Joseph tal 28 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 1: Chief and Ruth taal Chief, whose uh maiden name was Porter, 29 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: on January and Fairfax, Oklahoma. She was named after her 30 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: two grandmothers, Eliza tal Chief on her father's side and 31 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: Marie Porter on her mother's side. Uh and Marie had 32 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: been actually named after Marie Antoinette and for geographical reference, 33 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: fair Fax. This especially for people outside the US, is 34 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: about sixty miles northwest of Tulsa, so it's really sort 35 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: of smack dab in the middle of the continental United States. 36 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: Her father was a member of the oh Sage nation 37 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: and he was full blooded oh Sage. Her mother, Ruth 38 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: was Scott's Irish. This family was well off thanks to 39 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: oh Sage lands being really oil rich. Her father wisely 40 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: invested in real estate, and when recalling her youth in 41 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: O Sage, Maria said that it felt like her father 42 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: owned the town. He did own some pretty prominent aspects 43 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: of it, like he had the movie theater, he owned 44 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: a lot of buildings around the town. He really, you know, 45 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: as we said, he invested in real estate and was 46 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: pretty smart about buying land. But he unfortunately also had 47 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: a drinking problem. And while according to tal Chief, her 48 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: father was never physically violent with her mother, the pair 49 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: would argue when he drank. Sometimes they would argue about 50 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: money because even though he did very well, he sort 51 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: of it went out the door as fast as it 52 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: came in. Uh. He would sometimes go on drinking bidgeons 53 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: when these big checks from the oil royalties came. And 54 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: according to Uh Maria, when she was very young and 55 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: he would fly into these rages, they were really incredibly scary. 56 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: He was a large man, and it was just frightening 57 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: to be around somebody that big and angry. Ruth wanted 58 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: Betty Marie, which is what the family called Maria, and 59 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: her sister Marjorie, to be educated in the arts. Visiting 60 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: teachers would give them lessons in music and dancing, and 61 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: when they were at their vacation home in Colorado Springs. 62 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: They took lessons there as well, and in Maria's autobiography 63 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: she recalls that her first ballet class, when she was 64 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: barely more than a toddler, was in a hotel in 65 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: Colorado spring She was about three years old. Sometimes you'll 66 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: see it told as four, but in her autobiography she 67 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: says three. She says, what I remember most is that 68 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: the ballet teacher told me to stand straight and turn 69 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: each of my feet out to the side the first position. 70 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: I couldn't believe it, but I did what I was told. 71 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: She studied music as well as dance, and she had 72 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: perfect pitch. Ruth's dream for both of the daughters was 73 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: that they would be musical dancing stars, but a career 74 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: as a pianist for Betty Murrie was also something that 75 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: she considered. Uh and Maria first danced on point at 76 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: the very tender age of five. And anyone listening to 77 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: this who has studied ballet is probably cringing because they 78 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,159 Speaker 1: know this is far too early for a child to 79 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: wear point shoes. The bones of the feet are still 80 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: growing and they're not really strong enough for this, and 81 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: the musculature of the foot is not ready to support 82 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: the body on tiptoe in this way. Uh, it's really 83 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: bad decision and later teachers would be deeply dismayed by 84 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: this early foray into point shoes. As a child, Betty 85 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: Marie would accompany her grandmother Tall Chief to pow wows, 86 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: and she was really entranced by the dancing and the 87 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: songs that told the tribe's history. And her autobiography, which 88 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: was written in the nines with Larry Kaplan, she said, 89 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:01,919 Speaker 1: the rhythm of those songs has stayed with me. Betty 90 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: Marie was also incredibly smart, even from a very early age, 91 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: and when she was enrolled in school at age five, 92 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: it was not long before the teachers decided they had 93 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: to move her two grades ahead just to keep her challenged, 94 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: which to me sounds crazy, like to move a five 95 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: year old into a class with seven year olds is 96 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: a really big gap at that age, but there it was. 97 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: When she was just eight years old, the family moved 98 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles, California, Ruth still wanted the girls to 99 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: have every opportunity to be stars, and there was some 100 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: confusion about what grade Betty Murrie should be in two 101 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 1: grades ahead for reasons we just talked about didn't really 102 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: sit well with the new school. She was placed instead 103 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: in what was called Opportunity Class, which was similar to 104 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: a modern day gifted program. Yeah, and she still talked 105 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: in her autobiography about how she was still pretty bored. 106 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: They kind of couldn't keep her occupied enough. But she 107 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: also studied uh in Los Angeles under well known Hollywood 108 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: dancer teacher and choreographer Ernest Belcher, And this was really 109 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: a lucky happenstance. Belcher had actually been recommended to Ruth 110 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: Tall Chief by a druggist when she just kind of 111 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: inquired off handedly about dance teachers in Los Angeles. Belcher 112 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: taught Betty Murray and her sister a variety of different 113 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,239 Speaker 1: dance styles over the years. There as ballet, tap, acrobatics, 114 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: Spanish dance, and they even had to learn to play castanets. Yeah. 115 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: By all accounts, Maria was extremely uh proficient in castanets. Belcher, 116 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: as I suggested earlier, was horrified that their dance teacher 117 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: in Oklahoma had put the girls on point at such 118 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: a young age, and he basically started out their ballet 119 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,679 Speaker 1: training over entirely from scratch. He made it very clear 120 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: that they had been really lucky they had not been 121 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: injured by the carelessness of their previous teacher. As the 122 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: girls were studying under Belcher, their mother was really eager 123 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: to get them performing. Ruth booked the girls at Eastern 124 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 1: Star lodges and count affairs doing Native American dance. And 125 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: we have to kind of use air quotes there because 126 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: this was a really theatrical production rather than an authentic dance. Uh. 127 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: Both of the girls are really self conscious about the 128 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: whole thing, and when they finally outgrew their costumes, they 129 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: were really happy about it because they got to give 130 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: the whole thing up. Yeah, when she talks about it 131 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: in her autobiography, you can tell it. Just the whole 132 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: thing was horrible and uncomfortable and awkward. Uh. And before 133 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: we get to the next stage of her her education, 134 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: do you want to take a quick word from a sponsor. 135 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: Let's do. And now let's hop back into our story. So, 136 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: going back to Maria tal Chief, at the age of twelve, 137 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: Tall Chief and her sister switched dance schools. Her mother 138 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: just sort of switched them over without really consulting Ernest Belcher, 139 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: and they became students of Brunoslava Nijinska, who was a 140 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: sister of fame dancer and teacher of Voslav Nijinsky. And 141 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: when she first entered the studio and saw this round, 142 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: gray haired woman who was counting pupils, Maria actually thought 143 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: it was the school secretary, but it was in fact 144 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: her new um, very prestigious belly teacher. She would later 145 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: describe Ninjinska as a kind but also intense. The Russian 146 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: woman was a graduate of the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg. 147 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: I shouldn't speak a lot of English, and her husband 148 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: would translate awkwardly with directions that were aligned along the 149 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: lines of you are like spaghetti, you must pull pull, 150 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: just clears bell right. But apparently it really was pretty clear, uh, 151 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: to the students what they were getting at. And it 152 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: was under Madame Nijinska that taal Chief realized how hard 153 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: she was really going to have to work if she 154 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: wanted to pursue a career in dance. She was being 155 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: taught and to really just think about dance constantly and 156 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,839 Speaker 1: live the life of a dancer at all times, not 157 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,719 Speaker 1: just during class, but you know, when walking down the 158 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: street to carry herself, you know, in proper alignment when 159 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: she was waiting for a bus. Like basically, she was 160 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: being taught about the importance and the rigor of and 161 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: precision of the art. But none of this deterred her 162 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: in the least. It actually only served to make her 163 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: more and more certain that dance was her true path 164 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: in life. When she was fifteen in ninety she made 165 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: her debut. She danced at the Hollywood Bowl and Chopin 166 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: can share too, along with none other than said Scherise. 167 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: It wasn't perfect. Tall teeth actually fell during the performance, 168 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: although were teachers seemed unconcerned and reassured her that these 169 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,319 Speaker 1: kinds of things happened to everyone. Yeah, Maria was horrified, 170 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: of course, anybody that's ever performed. When you have a 171 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: huge gaff like that, it's really unsettling and you feel 172 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: very self conscious and upset. But her daj didn't seem 173 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: really bothered by it at all. Uh. And while she 174 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 1: was studying under Madame Adjinska Benny, Maria was really exposed 175 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: to a great number of fantastic dancers who would visit 176 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: the studio to take classes when they were tour and 177 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: it brought them through town, and she actually really caught 178 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: the eye of several as a very promising performer. Yugoslavian 179 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: ballerina Miya Slovenska had seen such potential in the Young 180 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: Dancer that she arranged for Surgey Denham, who was the 181 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: director of the Ballet Rouse, to audition her when he 182 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: was in town. While he never actually spoke to Tall Chief, 183 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: he told her mother that she was a good dancer 184 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: and that he'd like to see her again when she 185 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,559 Speaker 1: was done with high school. Uh. Betty Marie, which is 186 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:32,199 Speaker 1: what she was still going by at the time, had 187 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 1: been planning to attend college, but her father actually kind 188 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: of put the brakes on that plan. He thought she 189 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: should be using all of that training that they had 190 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: been paying for all of these years to actually seek 191 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: out a job in dance. And so she auditioned for 192 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: and was cast in the film Presenting Lily Mars, which 193 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: I believe was an MGM picture as an extra. Uh 194 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: and Judy Garland started that picture, and so getting to 195 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: see Judy Garland work really delighted Tall Chief and it 196 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: made her father very happy in prey out that she 197 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: was attached to this picture with a big name in it. 198 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: But once the film wrapped, she had to find something 199 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: else to do, so she remembered her audition in which 200 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: Sergei Dunham had said that she was talented, so she 201 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: called him up to express her interest in working with 202 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: ballet Russ. UH. That probably did not play out initially 203 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:24,559 Speaker 1: as she had hoped. The ballet Rous director Uh could 204 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: not quite conjure the memory of Talchi from her audition. 205 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,840 Speaker 1: He's like, I don't actually remember you. However, her timing 206 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: was really impeccable because he was having some staff problems. 207 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: His troop was scheduled to begin a tour of Canada, 208 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 1: but many of the members of his company were kind 209 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: of caught in the politics UH following h it caught 210 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: in the politics of the war. So this is around 211 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: World War two, and they found themselves unable to get passports. Uh. 212 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: A lot of them were from Russia and they were 213 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: here in the US, and there were some paperwork issues 214 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,680 Speaker 1: around the whole thing, and he was quite desperate, so 215 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: he let Talchi audition for him once again. She went 216 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: up to New York in audition, and this time she 217 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: was asked to join the tour as a member of 218 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: the Court of l A. She was really more than 219 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,079 Speaker 1: happy to endure all the rigors of life on the road, 220 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: which she was doing basically alone, and as a seventeen 221 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: year old. She later encouraged her students to learn from 222 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: her experience and seek out opportunities. She extolled the virtues 223 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: of just being in the right place at the right 224 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: at the right time, and willing to work as hard 225 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:30,679 Speaker 1: as you could when good fortune found you. And this 226 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 1: is also when she switched over from being Betty Marie 227 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: to taking the name Maria Tall Chief. And she had 228 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,959 Speaker 1: actually been urged by a number of people you'll see 229 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: different names attached to sort of the person that's credited 230 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: with it to take a Russian stage name, and this 231 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,559 Speaker 1: is quite popular among American dancers at the time. It 232 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: sort of was believed to give them a certain level 233 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: of cloud, but she refused. She really wanted to maintain 234 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 1: her O Sage heritage, and her last name, as Tracy 235 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, had been the words Tall and Chief separately, 236 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: but people con found it confusing, so she had actually 237 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: ditched the space between them. Back in school in California, 238 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: these kids had kind of teased her and made fun 239 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 1: of her, uh and acted about ditch all of this. 240 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: Uh so she had actually ditched the space between them 241 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: back in school in California. Yeah. She had talked about 242 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: her school years, saying, some of the students made fun 243 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: of my last name, pretending they didn't understand if it 244 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: was tall or cheap. A few made war whoops whenever 245 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: they saw me and asked why I didn't wear feathers 246 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: or if my father took scalps. After a while, they 247 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: became accustomed to me. But experience was but the experience 248 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: was painful. Eventually I turned the spelling of my last 249 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: name into one word. Everything in school was in strict 250 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: alphabetical order, and I wanted to avoid confusion. She did 251 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 1: eventually take the first name Maria to sort of play 252 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: kate friends and professional advisers. It was kind of a 253 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: good compromise she was willing to live with because they 254 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: were still continuing to encourage her to shift tall Chief 255 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: into tall Chieva to sound more Russian. She'd been dancing 256 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: with ballet Rous for two years when in nineteen forty four, 257 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,839 Speaker 1: Russian choreographer George Balantine joined the troop. While they were 258 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: working as the dance ensemble for the Broadway show Song 259 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: of Norway. And this meeting would prove to be pivotal bought, 260 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: both artistically and personally for tal Chief. Balancing is often 261 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: considered to be the creator of American style ballet, and 262 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: a lot of that was in collaboration with her. And 263 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: when she described her reaction when first working with Balanchine 264 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: in an interview that she did later in her life, 265 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: she said, this is how she described her inner monologue. 266 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: I am seeing music. This is it. I was a 267 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: musician myself, and I thought I am in my place. 268 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: Now I knew that that's the way I wanted to dance. 269 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: Another time, tal Chief said, of the legendary choreographer, I 270 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: never really understood until Balancing what ballet was all about. 271 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: And on August sixteenth of nineteen forty six, she and 272 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: Balanchine Mary. She was twenty one at the time when 273 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: he was forty two. And you might think that a 274 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: marriage between two famed artists would be all fire and passion, 275 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: but tall Chief never really described it that way in fact, 276 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: and Balancing proposed it seemed quite sudden to her, and 277 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: she told him she didn't even know she loved him, 278 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: and he said that was okay. But the next day 279 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: she accepted and when she spoke of their marriage outside 280 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: of dance, it sounded pleasant but really quite tame. There 281 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: has even been some speculation that it really was not 282 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: a particularly romantic um coupling. Their passion was really in 283 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: their work. Dancing with him really changed and refined Tall 284 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: Chief as a dancer. She became leaner and stronger and 285 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: really keenly aware of how every mechanism of her body 286 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: had to work to perform his intense choreography. So when 287 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: describing this period of artistic growth, she said, quote, what 288 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: did I learn? I learned to turn out, how to 289 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: point my toes properly where I belonged, where to place 290 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: my body, what muscles had to be developed? Everyone Otherwise 291 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: there was no way I was going to dance his ballets. 292 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: And soon after their marriage the duo actually left ballet roofs. 293 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: They waited for her contract to be up, and then 294 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: they traveled to France, where Tall Chief performed at the 295 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: Paris Opera Ballet in seven. That made her the first 296 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: American dancer to do so, although just as a side note, 297 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: her sister Marjorie did eventually become like a a regular 298 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: soloist with the Paris Opera ballet and was with them 299 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 1: for many years. Balanchine, for his part, really loved France, 300 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: and he actually might have wanted to stay there more 301 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: or less permanently under different conditions. But the Paris Opera 302 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: was really right with problems at the time. There was 303 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: a post war decline, and the opera's previous director had 304 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 1: actually been ousted for collaborating with the Nazis. The stage 305 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: conditions were poor. It became really apparent that Balancine and 306 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: his new bride were somehow expected to say to this 307 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: whole operation, and in fact they were actually pretty successful 308 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: in that regard. The critics had been pretty divided before 309 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: any of the performances happened. They seemed some of them 310 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: seemed really leery about this unknown American, But once she 311 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: debuted there, the universally praised Tall Chiefs dancing and her 312 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: work with balanching, and in many ways this really reinvigorated 313 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: interest in faith in the opera house and its work. 314 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: It wasn't long before the newlyweds returned to North America, 315 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: which will talk more about after another reward from a sponsor. 316 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,159 Speaker 1: So in the late nineteen forties, after they had returned 317 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: to the US, Tall chief was named as the New 318 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: York City Ballet's first Prima Ballerina when the company was 319 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 1: founded by balanching and arts patron Lincoln Kearstein. During her 320 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: time collaborating with him, she danced many of her most 321 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,159 Speaker 1: famous roles, including in the first year of the New 322 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: York City Ballet, the Firebird, which wowed audiences and earned 323 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:03,360 Speaker 1: acclaim for both dancer choreographer. She also performed your Writticy 324 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: and Orpheus with Valentine's choreography, and that really cemented the 325 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: role of the New York City Ballet as part of 326 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: the New York cultural scene. Uh. Yeah, and I if 327 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: you ever want to see there's some great footage of 328 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: her performing Firebird. Uh. That will include a link to 329 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: you in the show notes. It's she was so amazing 330 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: because she just had such strength and such a great 331 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: she was tallish. Uh. Really just a beautiful, breathtaking dancer. 332 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: And it's no secret that Valancine had many muses who 333 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: he became both romantically and professionally linked to over his lifetime, 334 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: and Maria did not stay his love for terribly long. 335 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: They wound up separating in nineteen fifty one, and they 336 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: officially dissolved the marriage in nineteen fifty two, but they 337 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: kept collaborating creatively after that. But as Valancine moved from 338 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: Mused Muse, often developing both the dancer and his choreography 339 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: style in tandem, Maria took opportunity is elsewhere. She would 340 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: return to her home company and his u choreography over 341 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: and over, but she did dance other places as well. Yeah, 342 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 1: it was really a whirlwind time for tall Chief. Her 343 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 1: fame and her skill kept her in demand all over 344 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 1: the world. Uh In nineteen fifty two she did another 345 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,440 Speaker 1: film role. She played the role of fame dancer Anna 346 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 1: Pavlova in the Esther Williams movie Million Dollar Mermaid. She 347 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: went back and starred in the as the Sugarplum Ferry 348 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,880 Speaker 1: and Balanchine's original production of The Nutcracker. In nineteen four, 349 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 1: she performed at the American Ballet Theater. She partnered with 350 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,360 Speaker 1: the most well known dancers of the time, including Andrea Iglevsky, 351 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,680 Speaker 1: Eric brun and Rudolph Nareyev, and she was actually romantically 352 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: linked to several of the the dancers that she partnered with, 353 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: although only briefly in each case. Back home, June twenty nine, 354 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 1: n fifty three was declared Maria tal Chief Day by 355 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 1: the Oklahoma legislature, and the oath Age tribe bestowed the 356 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: title of princess upon her. Uh. Not long after she 357 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 1: and Balancheine had broken up, tall Chief married Elmore's a Netsudvov, 358 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: who was a pilot, but that union did not last 359 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: and they were actually divorced two years later in nineteen 360 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: fifty four, and the following year she met her third husband, 361 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: Henry D. Buzz Passion Junior. And Passion was from a 362 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: Chicago construction family and completely outside the art world. Uh. 363 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: And it's she's often quoted as saying this, and it's 364 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: such a sort of charming quote, which is why I 365 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: think it's so popular. But she describes him by saying 366 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: he was very happy, outgoing and knew nothing about ballet, 367 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,360 Speaker 1: very refreshing. The two of them honeymooned all over Europe, 368 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: but it was basically a working vacation for tal Chief, 369 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,159 Speaker 1: who was on tour at the time. Uh. In nine, 370 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: the couple welcomed a daughter, Aliz, and Maria took time 371 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: off from her dancing, but once her maternity leave ended, 372 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 1: she was really happy to return to the stage for 373 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: several more years. As the nineteen sixties went on, Balanchine 374 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: had really shifted his obsession as a choreare refer to 375 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: dancer Suzanne Farrell, who was twenty years younger than Tall Chief. 376 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: Her style was much more um, sort of ethereal and lyrical, 377 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: whereas Tall Chiefs has been very fluid and very strong. Uh. 378 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: He was just kind of shifting gears in terms of 379 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,959 Speaker 1: what he wanted to do. So he and talked you 380 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,719 Speaker 1: kind of weren't having the same creative relationship that they 381 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: had had for a while. Paul Chief's final performance was 382 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: Romeo and Juliet, which she danced as part of the 383 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: Bell Telephone Hour on television. She was ready to retire 384 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: from performing after this, but not so much from the 385 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: whole world of dance. At Balanchine's urging, she actually took 386 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:41,679 Speaker 1: on the job of heading up Germany's Hamburg Ballet, but 387 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: she did not stay there for very long. At this point, 388 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: her daughter a Lease was five, she was about to 389 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: start school, and her husband, Buzz was still working in 390 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: Chicago as a family business. He couldn't really just pick 391 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: up and relocate, so Maria decided that it was really 392 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: in the family's best interest for her to return to 393 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: the United States. She trans vision from dancing to teaching, 394 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: and she was a point of the artistic director for 395 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:08,240 Speaker 1: the Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago. She also founded the 396 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: Chicago City Ballet and she served as its artistic director 397 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: for seven years until it shut its doors. Was a 398 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: year of honors for her. She was honored by the 399 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: Kennedy Center for her contributions to the arts in the 400 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: United States, and she was inducted into the National Women's 401 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:29,920 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. Was a mixed bag. She received the 402 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: National Medal of Arts by the US government, which is 403 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: basically the highest honor that uh An artists can receive. 404 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: But it was also challenging for the fame dancer because 405 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: her husband, Buzz was charged with tax evasion and he 406 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 1: was eventually sentenced to two years in prison. But throughout 407 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: it all she remained steadfast. She stayed by his side. 408 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 1: Her husband Buzz died in two thousand four, and then 409 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:56,679 Speaker 1: nine years after that, after suffering a broken hip and 410 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: some other issues, Maria died on April eleven, so just 411 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: last year, in Chicago, Illinois, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She 412 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:09,199 Speaker 1: was and to close out Holly wanted to finish with 413 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:12,919 Speaker 1: a few quotes from people in Maria's life. In the 414 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 1: words of one of her proteges, Kenneth of von Heideck, 415 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: who was the founder of the Chicago Festival Ballet, she 416 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: would teach classical ballet, not just technically, but she would 417 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: go beyond that and tell you how the laws of 418 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: physics help you achieve great elevation at great velocity. Her 419 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 1: daughter Alice was a poet and wrote, her dynamic presence 420 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: lit up the room. I will miss her passion, commitments 421 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: to her art, and devotion to her family. She raised 422 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: the bar high and strove for excellence and everything she did. 423 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,159 Speaker 1: And choreographer Jacques Dumboise, who had been a junior dancer 424 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: at the age of fifteen with the New York City 425 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: Ballet when Tall Chief danced her famed firebird role, said 426 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: of the ballerina, when you thought of Russian ballet, it 427 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: was Lenova. With English ballet was Fontane for American that 428 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: way it was Tall Chief. She was grand in the 429 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: grandest way. I love it. I thought you might like 430 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: doing this one. I did, and I get so choked 431 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: up over the stuff people said about her, because yeah, 432 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,720 Speaker 1: I was I was basically I've been you know, I 433 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: pretty much I'm trying to to at least get ideas 434 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 1: for episodes a couple of weeks ahead of when I 435 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: researched them. Uh, and I had been sort of poking 436 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,160 Speaker 1: around looking for something that was related to a Native 437 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 1: American person or Native American history, and this was basically 438 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: something I stumbled across and immediately thought, Holly, well, and 439 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: there's an additional story that we could possibly explore at 440 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:39,959 Speaker 1: some point in the future kind of related, well, very 441 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 1: much related to her. Uh. There were five kind of 442 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 1: prominent dancers that came out of Native America around the 443 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: same time. Her sister is included in that group, and 444 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 1: for some reason, they just really all sort of prospered 445 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: in the arts world. It did some really amazing and 446 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,120 Speaker 1: incredible and noteworthy things. So she was probably the most 447 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:03,040 Speaker 1: famous of them. But I if you have, you know, 448 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: a half hour or more to kill, google her and 449 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: look at videos of her online. She was so well 450 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 1: spoken and just the epitome of elegance and grace and wit. Uh. 451 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 1: You know, she spoke of George Balanchine throughout their life, 452 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 1: even after their failed marriage, with such fondness and she 453 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,679 Speaker 1: clearly so respected him as an artist, and I just 454 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: I could watch footage of her all day long because 455 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,680 Speaker 1: she was really amazing. But before I get more choked 456 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: up and start crying, um, I'll go to listener mail, 457 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: which is about Bella Lego. Se uh and this is 458 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: from our listener Molly, and she said, I loved your 459 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 1: podcast on Bella Lego. See. I had asked my dad 460 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: to retell me the story of when he met him. 461 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: My dad was a student at St. Louis University in 462 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: the early nineteen fifties and he worked in the theater department. 463 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: Bella played Boris played the Boris carlaf role in Arsenic 464 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 1: and Old Lace at a production there one year, and 465 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: my dad was running lights for the show. Dad said 466 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,359 Speaker 1: the head of the theater department would invite out of 467 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: town guests to come and spend an hour or so 468 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: with the students, which Bella did. Dad couldn't remember anything 469 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: that he said, but he remembered him as quote an 470 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,640 Speaker 1: extraordinarily decrepit old man. However, when the curtain came up, 471 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,119 Speaker 1: Bella's character in the show enters through a window, and 472 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,400 Speaker 1: Dad remembered this old man leaping through the window as 473 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,159 Speaker 1: if he had shed forty years. He said when he 474 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: met him, he was a very nice old man, but 475 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: on stage he was very scary. I love that story 476 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: and it kind of holds uh parallels to the fory 477 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,639 Speaker 1: Ackerman story that we told in the course of the 478 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: podcast about how you know he would be one way, 479 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: but then when he was on in public, he sort 480 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: of morphed into this much bigger, grander character, which I 481 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: just love. What a spectacular views. If you have any 482 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: memories of Bella Ago see or connections to Maria tal Chi, 483 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: which many of you might since she's a recent figure, 484 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: you can write to us and share those at History 485 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: Podcast at how stopworks dot com. You can also connect 486 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: with those at Facebook dot com, slash missed in History, 487 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: on Twitter at in history at missed in History dot 488 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 1: tumbler dot com, on pinterest dot com slash missed in 489 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 1: History I cannot wait to send a bunch of pictures 490 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: of Maria Talci uh. And you can also go to 491 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: our spreadshirt store at missed in History dot spreadshirt dot 492 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 1: com for all kinds of missed in History goodies like 493 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: shirts and mugs and bags. Uh. If you would like 494 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 1: to learn a little bit more about what we talked 495 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,920 Speaker 1: about today, being ballet. You can go to our parents 496 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 1: site has to works. Type in the word ballet and 497 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 1: one of the articles that comes up is ten most 498 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: important ballet terms. It's kind of a nice grimmer on 499 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 1: some of the basics. Uh. You can do research there. 500 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,000 Speaker 1: You can also visit us at our website, which is 501 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: missed in history dot com, for show notes and an 502 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: archive of all of our episodes. If you would like 503 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: to research almost anything else, you're my can conjure. As 504 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: we said, go to our parents site. How stoffworks dot 505 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics. 506 00:27:54,000 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: It has to works dot com.