1 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody. Somebody recently shared a post on our 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,959 Speaker 1: Facebook page as a suggestion for an episode of the show. 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: I went back to try to find that post so 4 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: I could thank that person by name. I could not 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: find it, but it was a post about Native American 6 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: women in the field of ballet. So with that suggestion 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: in mind, we are going back to our previous episode 8 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: on Maria tal Chief so good, she was amazing. This 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: originally came out almost exactly five years ago on November three. 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: We hope you enjoy Welcome to Stuff You Missed in 11 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: History Class, a production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. And I'm Tracy V. Wilson. 13 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: And today's topic was actually suggested by Tracy. She has 14 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: been looking for more Native American topic because she wanted 15 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: to work on something uh in that arena, and she 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: came across this one. But then she asked me if 17 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: I would like to do the research on it because 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: it involves ballet, and my answer was, of course, may 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: we uh. And there's a person that I have long admired. 20 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: So the woman that we're focusing on today is often 21 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: referred to as a trailblazer because she was a Native 22 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: American who became the prima ballerina for the New York 23 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: City Ballet. But she was a trailblazer period, even if 24 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: you discount her Native American heritage, not that you should, 25 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: but because she was the first prima ballerina ever at 26 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: the New York City Ballet, and she's often considered America's 27 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: first prima ballerina, she really set the bar for everyone 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: who came after her, and she said it extremely high. 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: She was really a role model for artists from all 30 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: backgrounds to strive for excellence and no matter you know what, 31 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: you're upbringing our cultural heritage. She was just an amazing 32 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: beacon of artistry and brilliance and creativity. And she is considered, 33 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: as I said, to be the first grand ballerina of 34 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,919 Speaker 1: the United States. So we were talking today about Maria 35 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: tal Chief. So her birth name was Elizabeth Marie tall Chief, 36 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: and that was originally two words. She was born to 37 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: Alexander Joseph tal Chief and Ruth tal Chief, whose uh 38 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: maiden name was Porter, on January and Fairfax, Oklahoma. She 39 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: was named after her two grandmothers, Eliza tal Chief on 40 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: her father's side, and Marie Porter on her mother's side. Uh, 41 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: and Marie had been actually named after Marie Antoinette and 42 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: for geographical reference fair Fax. This is especially good for 43 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: people outside the U. S is about sixty miles northwest 44 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: of Tulsa, so it's really sort of smack dab in 45 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: the middle of the continental United States. Her father was 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: a member of the O s Age Nation and he 47 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: was full blooded O Sage. Her mother, Ruth was Scott's Irish. 48 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: This family was well off thanks to Osage Lands being 49 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: really oil rich. Her father wisely invest it in real estate, 50 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: and when recalling her youth in O Sage, Maria said 51 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: that it felt like her father owned the town. He 52 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: did own some pretty prominent aspects of it, like he 53 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: had the movie theater. Uh, he owned a lot of 54 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: buildings around the town. He really, you know, as we said, 55 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: he invested in real estate and was pretty smart about 56 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: buying land. But he unfortunately also had a drinking problem. 57 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: And while according to Tall Chief, her father was never 58 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: physically violent with her mother, the pair would argue when 59 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: he drank. Sometimes they would argue about money because even 60 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: though he did very well, he sort of it went 61 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: out the door as fast as it came in UH, 62 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: and he would sometimes go on drinking bidges when these 63 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: big checks from the oil royalties came. And according to 64 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: Uh Maria, when she was very young and he would 65 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: fly into these rages. They were really incredibly scary. He 66 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: was a large man, and it was just frightening to 67 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: be around somebody that big and angry. Ruth wanted Betty Marie, 68 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: which is what the family called Maria, and her sister Marjorie, 69 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: to be educated in the arts. Visiting teachers would give 70 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: them lessons in music and dancing, and when they were 71 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: at their vacation home in Colorado Springs, they took lessons 72 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: there as well. And in Maria's autobiography she recalls that 73 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: her first ballet class UH, when she was barely more 74 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: than a toddler, was in a hotel in Colorado spring 75 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: She was about three years old. Sometimes you'll see it 76 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: told as four, but in her autobiography she says three. 77 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: And she says, what I remember most is that the 78 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: ballet teacher told me to stand straight and turn each 79 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: of my feet out to the side the first position. 80 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: I couldn't believe it, but I did what I was told. 81 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: She studied music as well as dance, and she had 82 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: perfect pitch. Ruth's dream for both of the daughters was 83 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: that they would be musical dancing stars, but a career 84 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: as a pianist for Betty Marie was also something that 85 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: she considered. Uh. And Maria first danced on point at 86 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: the very tender age of five. And anyone listening to 87 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: this who has studied ballet is probably cringing because they 88 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: know this is far too early for a child to 89 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: wear point shoes. The bones of the feet are still 90 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: growing and they're not really strong enough for this, and 91 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: the musculature of the foot is not ready to support 92 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: the body on tiptoe in this way. Uh. It's really 93 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: bad decision, and later teachers would be deeply dismayed by 94 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,559 Speaker 1: this early foray into point shoes. As a child, Betty 95 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: Marie would accompany her grandmother Tall Chief to pow wows, 96 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: and she was really entranced by the dancing and the 97 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: songs that told the tribe's history. And her autobiography, which 98 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: was written in the nineties with Larry Caplan, she said, 99 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: the rhythm of those songs has stayed with me. Betty 100 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 1: Marie was also incredibly smart, even from a very early age, 101 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: and when she was enrolled in school at age five, 102 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: it was not long before the teachers decided they had 103 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: to move her two grades ahead just to keep her challenged, 104 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: which to me sounds crazy, like to move a five 105 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: year old into a class with seven year olds is 106 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: a really big gap at that age, but there it was. 107 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 1: When she was just eight years old, the family moved 108 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles, California. Ruth still wanted the girls to 109 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: have every opportunity to be stars, and there was some 110 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: confusion about what grade Betty Murray should be in. Two 111 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: grades ahead for reasons we just talked about, didn't really 112 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: sit well with the new school. She was placed in 113 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: stead in what was called Opportunity Class, which was similar 114 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: to a modern day gifted program. Yeah, and she still 115 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: talked in her autobiography about how she was still pretty bored. 116 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: They kind of couldn't keep her occupied enough. But she 117 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: also studied UH in Los Angeles under well known Hollywood 118 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: dancer teacher and choreographer Ernest Belcher, and this was really 119 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: a lucky happenstance. Belcher had actually been recommended to Ruth 120 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: Tall Chief by a druggist when she just kind of 121 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: inquired off handedly about dance teachers in Los Angeles. Belcher 122 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 1: taught Betty Murray and her sister a variety of different 123 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: dance styles over the years. There's ballet, tap acrobatics, Spanish dance, 124 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: and even had to learn to play castanets. Yeah. By 125 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: all accounts, Maria was extremely proficient in castanets. Belcher, as 126 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: I suggested earlier, was horrified that their dance teacher in 127 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: Oklahoma had put the girls on point at such a 128 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: young age, and he basically started out their ballet training 129 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: over entirely from scratch. He made it very clear that 130 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: they had been really lucky they had not been injured 131 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,559 Speaker 1: by the carelessness of their previous teacher. As the girls 132 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: were studying under Belcher, their mother was really eager to 133 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: get them performing. Ruth booked the girls at Eastern Star 134 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: lodges and county fairs doing Native American dance. And we 135 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: have to kind of use air quotes there because this 136 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: was a really theatrical production rather than an authentic dance. Uh. 137 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: Both of the girls were really self conscious about the 138 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: whole thing, and when they finally outgrew their costumes, they 139 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: were really happy about it because they got to give 140 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: the whole thing up. Yeah, when she talks about it 141 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: in her autobiography, you could tell it just the whole 142 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: thing was horrible and uncomfortable and awkward. Uh. And before 143 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: we get to the next stage of her her education, 144 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: do you want to take a quick word from a sponsor, 145 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: let's do so. Going back to Maria Talchi, at the 146 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: age of twelve, tall Chief and her sister switched dance schools. 147 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: Her mother just sort of switched them over without really 148 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: consulting Ernest Belcher, and they became students of Brunoslava Nijinska, 149 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: who was a sister of fame dancer and teacher Vaslav Nijinsky. 150 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: And when she first entered the studio and saw this round, 151 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: gray haired woman who was counting pupils, Maria actually thought 152 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: it was the school secretary, but it was in fact 153 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: her new um, very prestigious belly teacher. She would later 154 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: describe Ninjinska as a kind but also intense. The Russian 155 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,599 Speaker 1: woman was a graduate of the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg. 156 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: She shouldn't speak a lot of English, and her husband 157 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: would translate awkwardly with directions that were aligned along the 158 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: lines of you are like spaghetti. You must pull pull, 159 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: just clear as bell. Right. But apparently it really was 160 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 1: pretty clear, uh, to the students what they were getting at. 161 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: And it was under Madame Nejinska that Tall Chief realized 162 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: how hard she was really going to have to work 163 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: if she wanted to pursue a career in dance. She 164 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: was being taught and to really just think about dance 165 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: constantly and lived the life of a dancer at all times, 166 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,439 Speaker 1: not just during class, but you know, when walking down 167 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,679 Speaker 1: the street to carry herself, you know, in proper alignment, 168 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: when she was waiting for a bus. Like. Basically, she 169 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: was being taught about the importance and the rigor of 170 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: and precision of the art. But none of this deterred 171 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: her in the least. It actually only served to make 172 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: her more and more certain that dance was her true 173 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: path in life. When you was fifteen in ninety she 174 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: made her debut. She danced at the Hollywood Bowl in 175 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: Chopin concerto along with none other than said Scheris. It 176 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 1: wasn't perfect. Tall Chief actually fell during the performance. Althore 177 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: were teachers seemed unconcerned and reassured her that these kinds 178 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 1: of things happened to everyone. Yeah, Maria was horrified, of course, 179 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: anybody that's ever performed. When you have a huge gaff 180 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: like that, it's really unsettling and you feel very self 181 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: conscious and upset. But her teacher didn't seem really bothered 182 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: by it at all. Uh. And while she was studying 183 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: under Madame Djinska Benny, Maria was really exposed to a 184 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:40,319 Speaker 1: great number of fantastic dancers who would visit the studio 185 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: to take classes when they were on tour, and it 186 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 1: brought them through town and she actually really caught the 187 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: eye of several as a very promising performer. Yugoslavian ballerina 188 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: Miya Slovenska had seen such potential in the young dancer 189 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: that she arranged for Sergey Denham, who was the director 190 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: of the Ballet Rouse, to audition her when he was 191 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: in town. While he never actually spoke to tall Chief, 192 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: he told her mother that she was a good dancer 193 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: and that he'd like to see her again when she 194 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 1: was done with high school. Uh. Betty Marie, which is 195 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:13,959 Speaker 1: what she was still going by at the time, had 196 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: been planning to attend college, but her father actually kind 197 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: of put the brakes on that plan. He thought she 198 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: should be using all of that training that they had 199 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: been paying for all of these years to actually seek 200 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 1: out a job in dance. And so she auditioned for 201 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: and was cast in the film Presenting Lily Mars, which 202 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: I believe was an MGM picture, as an extra. Uh 203 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: and Judy Garland started that picture. And so getting to 204 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: see Judy Garland work really delighted Tall Chief and it 205 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: made her father very happy and proud that she was 206 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: attached to this picture with a big name in it. 207 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:48,959 Speaker 1: But once the film wrapped, she had to find something 208 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: else to do. So she remembered her audition in which 209 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: Sergey Dunham had said that she was talented, so she 210 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: called him up to express her interest in working with 211 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: ballet Russ. Uh. That probably did not play out initially 212 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,319 Speaker 1: as she had hoped. The ballet Us director Uh could 213 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: not quite conjure the memory of Talchi from her audition. 214 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: She's like, I don't actually remember you. However, her timing 215 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: was really impeccable because he was having some staff problems. 216 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: His troop was scheduled to begin a tour of Canada, 217 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: but many of the members of his company were kind 218 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: of caught in the politics. UH. Following h it caught 219 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: in the politics of the war. So this is around 220 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:32,320 Speaker 1: World War two, and they found themselves unable to get passports. UH. 221 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: A lot of them were from Russia and they were 222 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: here in the US, and there were some paperwork issues 223 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: around the whole thing, and he was quite desperate, so 224 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: he let tal Chief audition for him once again. She 225 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,559 Speaker 1: went out to New York in audition, and this time 226 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: she was asked to join the tour as a member 227 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: of the Court of Ballet. She was really more than 228 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: happy to endure all the rigors of life on the road, 229 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:56,199 Speaker 1: which she was doing basically alone, and as a seventeen 230 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: year old. She later encouraged her students to learn from 231 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: her experience and seek out opportunities. She extolled the virtues 232 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: of just being in the right place at the right 233 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: at the right time, and willing to work as hard 234 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: as you could when good fortune found you. And this 235 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: is also when she switched over from being Betty Marie 236 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: to taking the name Maria tall Chief. And she had 237 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,719 Speaker 1: actually been urged by a number of people. You'll see 238 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: different names attached to sort of the person that's credited 239 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: with it to take a Russian stage name, and this 240 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: is quite popular among American dancers at the time. It 241 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: sort of was believed to give them a certain level 242 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: of clout, but she refused. She really wanted to maintain 243 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 1: her o Sage heritage, and her last name, as Tracy 244 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,439 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, had been the words tall and Chief separately, 245 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: but people con found it confusing, so she had actually 246 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: ditched the space between them. Back in school in California, Yeah, 247 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: she had talked about our school years, saying, some of 248 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: the students made fun of my last name, pretending they 249 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 1: didn't understand if it was tall or chief. A few 250 00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: made war whoops whenever they saw me and asked why 251 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: I didn't wear feathers or if my father took scalps. 252 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: After a while, they became accustomed to me. But experience 253 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,200 Speaker 1: was but the experience was painful. Eventually, I turned the 254 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:11,960 Speaker 1: spelling of my last name into one word. Everything in 255 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: school was in strict alphabetical order, and I wanted to 256 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: avoid confusion. She did eventually take the first name Maria 257 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: to sort of play kate friends and professional advisers. It 258 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: was kind of a good compromise she was willing to 259 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: live with because they were still continuing to encourage her 260 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: to shift tall Chief into tall Chiva to sound more Russian. 261 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: She'd been dancing with ballet rous for two years when 262 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: in ninety four Russian choreographer George Balantine joined the troop 263 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: while they were working as the dance ensemble for the 264 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: Broadway show Song of Norway, and this meeting would prove 265 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: to be pivotal bought both artistically and personally for taal Chief. 266 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: Bouncing is often considered to be the creator of American 267 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: style by ballet, and a lot of that was in 268 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: collaboration with her. And when she described her reaction when 269 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: first working with Balanchine in an interview that she did 270 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: later in her life, she said, this is how she 271 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: described her inner monologue. I am seeing music. This is it. 272 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: I was a musician myself, and I thought I am 273 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: in my place. Now I knew that that's the way 274 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to dance. Another time, tal Chief said, of 275 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: the legendary choreographer, I never really understood until balancing what 276 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: ballet was all about. And on August sixteenth of nineteen 277 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: forty six, she and Balanchine married. She was twenty one 278 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: at the time when he was forty two and You 279 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: might think that a marriage between two famed artists would 280 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 1: be all fire and passion, but tal Chief never really 281 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: described it that way. In fact, and Balanching proposed it 282 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: seemed quite sudden to her, and she told him she 283 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: didn't even know she loved him, and he said that 284 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: was okay. But the next day she accepted, and when 285 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: she spoke of their marriage outside of dance, it sounded 286 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: pleasant but really quite tame. There has even been some 287 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: speculation that it really was not a particularly romantic um coupleing. 288 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: Their passion was really in their work. Dancing with him 289 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: really changed and refined tall Chief as a dancer. She 290 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: became leaner and stronger and really keenly aware of how 291 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: every mechanism of her body had to work to perform 292 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: his intense choreography. So when describing this period of artistic growth, 293 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: she said, quote, what did I learn? I learned to 294 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: turn out, how to point my toes properly where I belonged, 295 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 1: where to place my body, what muscles had to be developed? 296 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: Everyone Otherwise there was no way I was going to 297 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: dance his ballets. And soon after their marriage the duo 298 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: actually left ballet roufs. They waited for her contract to 299 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: be up, and then they traveled to France, where Tall 300 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: chief performed with the Paris Opera Ballet in seven. That 301 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: made her the first American dancer to do so, although 302 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: just as a side note, her sister Marjorie did eventually 303 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: become like a a regular soloist with the Paris Opera 304 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: l A and was with them for many years. Balancheen, 305 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,200 Speaker 1: for his part, really loved France, and he actually might 306 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,120 Speaker 1: have wanted to stay there more or less permanently under 307 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: different conditions. But the Paris Opera was really rife with 308 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: problems at the time. There was a post war decline, 309 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: and the opera's previous director had actually been ousted for 310 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: collaborating with the Nazis. The stage conditions are poor. It 311 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,400 Speaker 1: became really apparent that Balanchein and his new bride were 312 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: somehow expected to save this whole operation, and in fact 313 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 1: they were actually pretty successful in that regard. The critics 314 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: had been pretty divided before any of the performances happened. 315 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: They seemed some of them seemed really leery about this 316 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:49,199 Speaker 1: unknown American, but once she debuted there, the universally praised 317 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 1: Tall Chiefs dancing and her work with Balancheen and in 318 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: many ways this really reinvigorated interest in faith in the 319 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: opera house and its work. It wasn't long before the 320 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,159 Speaker 1: newlyweds returned to North America, which talk more about after 321 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: another reef word from a sponsor. In the late nineteen forties, 322 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 1: after they had returned to the US, Tall Chief was 323 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,639 Speaker 1: named as the New York City Ballet's first prima Ballerina 324 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: when the company was founded by Balanchine and arts patron 325 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:26,640 Speaker 1: Lincoln Kirstine. During her time collaborating with him, she danced 326 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 1: many of her most famous roles, including in the first 327 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: year of the New York City Ballet, the Firebird, which 328 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: wowed audiences and earned acclaim for both dancer and choreographer. 329 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: She also performed Your Writticy and Orpheus with Valentine's choreography, 330 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: and that really cemented the role of the New York 331 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: City Ballet as part of the New York cultural scene. 332 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, and I if you ever want to see 333 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: there's some great footage of her performing Firebird. Uh. That 334 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: will include a link to you in the show notes. 335 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: It's she was so amazing because she just had such 336 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: strength and such a grace. She was tall Ish. Uh 337 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 1: really just a beautiful, breathtaking dancer. And it's no secret 338 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: that Balancine had many muses who he became both romantically 339 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: and professionally linked to over his lifetime, and Maria did 340 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 1: not stay his love for terribly long. They wound up 341 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: separating in nineteen fifty one, and they officially dissolved the 342 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,440 Speaker 1: marriage in nineteen fifty two, but they kept collaborating creatively 343 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: after that. But as Balancine moved from mused muse, often 344 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: developing both the dancer and his choreography style in tandem, 345 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: Maria took opportunities elsewhere. She would return to her home 346 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,719 Speaker 1: company and his choreography over and over, but she did 347 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: dance other places as well. Yeah, it was really a 348 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: whirlwind time for tall Chief. Her fame and her skill 349 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 1: kept her in demand all over the world. Uh. In 350 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty two she did another film role. She played 351 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: the role of fame dancer Anna Pavlova in the Esther 352 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 1: Williams movie Million Dollar Mermaid. She went back and starred 353 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: and as the sugar plum Ferry and Balanchine's original production 354 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,200 Speaker 1: of The Nutcracker. In ninety four, she performed with the 355 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: American ballet theater. She partnered with the most well known 356 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: dancers at the time, including Andrea Iglevsky, Eric Brune, and 357 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 1: Rudolph Nareyev, and she was actually romantically linked to several 358 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: of the the dancers that she partnered with, although only 359 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:26,159 Speaker 1: briefly in each case. Back Home, June nifty three was 360 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: declared Maria tal Chief Day by the Oklahoma legislature, and 361 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:35,400 Speaker 1: the oth Age tribe bestowed the title of princess upon her. Uh. 362 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: Not long after she and Balanchine had broken up, tall 363 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 1: Chief married Elmore's a Natsudbov, who was a pilot, but 364 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: that union did not last and they were actually divorced 365 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: two years later in nineteen fifty four, and the following 366 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: year she met her third husband, Henry D. Buzz Passion, Jr. 367 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: And Passion was from a Chicago construction family and completely 368 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,199 Speaker 1: outside the art world. And it's she's often quoted as 369 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,160 Speaker 1: saying this, and it's such a sort of charming quote, 370 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: which is why I think it's so popular. But she 371 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,919 Speaker 1: describes him and by saying he was very happy, outgoing 372 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: and knew nothing about ballet, very refreshing. The two of 373 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: them honeymooned all over Europe, but it was basically a 374 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 1: working vacation for Tall Chief, who was on tour at 375 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,920 Speaker 1: the time. Uh. In ninety nine, the couple welcomed a daughter, 376 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,119 Speaker 1: Aliz and Maria took time off from her dancing, but 377 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: once her maternity leave ended, she was really happy to 378 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 1: return to the stage. For several more years. As the 379 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties went on, Balanchine had really shifted his obsession 380 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: as a choreographer to dancer Suzanne Farrell, who was twenty 381 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 1: years younger than Tall Chief. Her style was much more um, 382 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,959 Speaker 1: sort of ethereal and lyrical, whereas Tall Chiefs has been 383 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 1: very fluid and very strong. Uh. He was just kind 384 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: of shifting gears in terms of what he wanted to do, 385 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: so he and talked you kind of weren't having the 386 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: same creative relationship that they had had for a while. 387 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: Tau Chiefs final performance was Romeo and Juliet, which she 388 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: danced as part of the Bell Telephone Hour on television. 389 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: She was ready to retire from performing after this, but 390 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: not so much from the whole world of dance. At 391 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: Balanchine's urging, she actually took on the job of heading 392 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: up Germany's homboard Ballet, but she did not stay there 393 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: for very long. At this point, her daughter Else was five, 394 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: she was about to start school, and her husband Buzz 395 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: was still working in Chicago as a family business. He 396 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: couldn't really just pick up and relocate, so Maria decided 397 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: that it was really in the family's best interest for 398 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: her to return to the United States. She transitioned from 399 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: dancing to teaching, and she was a point of the 400 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: artistic director for the Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago. She 401 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,119 Speaker 1: also founded the Chicago City Ballet and she served as 402 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: its artistic director for seven years until it shut its doors. 403 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,719 Speaker 1: Was a year of honors for her. She was honored 404 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: by the Kennedy Center for her contributions to the arts 405 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: in the United States, and she was inducted into the 406 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: National Women's Hall of Fame. A mixed bag. She received 407 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 1: the National Medal of Arts by the US government, which 408 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: is basically the highest honor that uh an artist can receive. 409 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 1: But it was also challenging for the fame dancer because 410 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,439 Speaker 1: her husband, Buzz was charged with tax evasion and he 411 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: was eventually sentenced to two years in prison. But throughout 412 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: it all she remained steadfast. She stayed by his side. 413 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: Her husband, Buzz died in two thousand four, and then 414 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: nine years after that, after suffering a broken hip and 415 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:38,199 Speaker 1: some other issues, Maria died on April eleventh, so just 416 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 1: last year, in Chicago, Illinois, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She 417 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: was and to close out, Holly wanted to finish with 418 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: a few quotes from people in Maria's life. In the 419 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: words of one of her proteges, Kenneth von Heideke, who 420 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: was the founder of the Chicago Festival Ballet, she would 421 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,439 Speaker 1: teach classical ballet, not just technically, but she would go 422 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: beyond it and tell you how the laws of physics 423 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: help you achieve great elevation and great velocity. Her daughter 424 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: Alice was a poet and wrote her dynamic presence lit 425 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 1: up the room. I will miss her passion, commitments to 426 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: her art, and devotion to her family. She raised the 427 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,880 Speaker 1: bar high and strove for excellence and everything she did. 428 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: And choreographer Jacques Dumboise, who had been a junior dancer 429 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: at the age of fifteen with the New York City 430 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: Ballet when Tall Chief danced her famed firebird role, said 431 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: of the ballerina, when you thought of Russian ballet, it 432 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: was Lenova with English ballet. It was Fontane for American ballet. 433 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 1: It was tall Chief. She was grand in the grandest way. 434 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: I love it. I thought you might like doing this one. 435 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: I did, and I get so choked up over the 436 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: stuff people said about her, because yeah, I was. I was. 437 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: Basically I've been, you know, I pretty much I'm trying 438 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,440 Speaker 1: to to at least get ideas for episodes a couple 439 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,399 Speaker 1: of weeks ahead of when I researched them, uh, and 440 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: I had been and sort of poking around looking for 441 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: something that was related to a Native American person or 442 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 1: or Native American history, and this was basically something I 443 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: stumbled across and immediately thought, Holly, well, and there's an 444 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: additional story that we could possibly explore at some point 445 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 1: in the future kind of related, well, very much related 446 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: to her. Uh. There were five kind of prominent dancers 447 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 1: that came out of Native America around the same time. 448 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: Her sister is included in that group, and for some reason, 449 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: they just really all sort of prospered in the arts world. 450 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: It did some really amazing and incredible and noteworthy things. 451 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: So she is probably the most famous of them. But 452 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: I just if you have, you know, a half hour 453 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:44,439 Speaker 1: or more to kill, google her and look at videos 454 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 1: of her online. She was so well spoken and just 455 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: the epitome of elegance and grace and wit. Uh. You know, 456 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 1: she spoke of George Balanchie throughout their life, even after 457 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: their failed marriage, with such fondness, and she clearly so 458 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: respected him as an artist. I just I can watch 459 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 1: footage of her all day long because she was really amazing. 460 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us on this Saturday. 461 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: If you have heard an email address or a Facebook 462 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: you are l or something similar over the course of 463 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: today's episode, since it is from the archive that might 464 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: be out of date now, you can email us at 465 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,439 Speaker 1: History podcast at how stuff Works dot com, and you 466 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 1: can find us all over social media at missed in 467 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,919 Speaker 1: History and you can subscribe to our show on Apple podcasts, 468 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,120 Speaker 1: Google podcast the I heart Radio app, and wherever else 469 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: you listen to podcasts. Stuff You Missed in History Class 470 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. 471 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:46,919 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I 472 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to 473 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.