Ballerina Maria Tallchief performs for President John F. Kennedy (1962) | The Kennedy Center

[@kas_xo]

Thanks, Google! I never would've known about Maria otherwise. What a tremendously talented and beautiful woman.

[@joannanderson1444]

And also jacque Valle whome my life work a d help me to be a succusable workers nrsonesinwsbe yevjnphos

[@1231oreo]

@@joannanderson1444 same here.

[@rahstara]

same!

[@adawkins5678]

I'm so mad that I'm today years old just learning about Maria Tallchief and all she's done for ballet! 😣 I love ballet and can't believe I haven't heard of her once! Excited to learn more about her though!

[@SnippetsBB]

It's about time to see honors such as this for the First People. Certainly this was NEVER mentioned in schoolbooks. Writers of schoolbooks MUST have varied ethnic writers/historians at the table.

[@jillianmcbeaver8371]

agreed!

[@NeryssaPaige]

She was beloved and famous, and always honored her Osage background. However, Tallchief considered herself a ballet dancer who happened to be a Native American not vice versa. Her autobiography is worth reading.

[@TrevorMom]

I love the term First People because that's what Native Americans were. They were first, and if we whites hadn't committed genocide, they would still live on this land. Furthermore, they would have respected it enough to not destroy it for profits.

[@PowerEnglish4ForeignExecs]

@@TrevorMom Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I agree that First People contributed much to our American history and as such should be recognized. Happy 4th.

[@kearabevels296]

Very lovely ballerina. She used to have a studio in chicago. My grandfather actually fixed the flooring and all that for her and actually got to meet her. This was years ago though.

[@jillianmcbeaver8371]

what an honor!

[@thangvuong9196]

America's first Prima Ballerina.

[@leeannmettlach2412]

What an amazing performance & amazing share! I am currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon or should I say trying to read it. It just makes me sad. I follow a channel & they did a podcast where they were walking downtown Fairfax. There is a wooden statue of a ballerina outside of the Tallchief Theater, where they have a memorial set up. I had to try & see Maria Tallchief dance. What a beautiful performance!!!

[@kristinehatkinson7323]

Her arms are amazingly expressive-- so graceful under the most ambitious movements. Wow. Yes, I think she may be the best-- and I've seen Margot Fonteyn, Nuryev, Baryshnikov and pricnipals of Boston Ballet last 30 years.

[@carinamoses2704]

such a beautiful sense of musicality and dramatic timing, and lots of flexibility and flair in the poses - she captures the mix of poetic swan and emotive human personality very well.

[@OperaJH]

I’m originally from Singapore and I had heard of her and seen some film of her magical dancing… so I don’t know why people here wouldn’t have heard of her. I also worked with Pacific Northwest Ballet and the dancers were certainly aware of her, as well as those of in marketing and development. At any rate, Maria Tallchief is an American legend and icon of the highest order…

[@caylya7869]

celebrating a native american google. Cool.

[@albertodiaz9853]

Sii

[@CulturedCarlo]

Yup we some of the first people checking her out because of Google haha thanks google!

[@PamelaJean515]

Not I. I learned about Maria as a little girl (which was many years ago)

[@davideasiebert1941]

She was 47 years old in this video.......so lovely, graceful, fluid like magic.

[@Qwerty-db1js]

She was born in 1925 😅

[@martingorbien5881]

37

[@pricla777]

She was born 1n 1925, so she was 37 in 1962, not 47.

[@lexizurovec8957]

My girl was 37 here. Absolutely insane talent and beauty

[@nikkitennison6938]

Beautiful and elegant Maria....

[@bananakids_1212]

You are acting like she is your crush lol

[@theendofanerror4173]

Google brought me here. Her strength is unbelievable!! 😍

[@racourdav]

So elegant and graceful...wonderful recognition Google! RIP Maria

[@pbjsilverstudio4882]

I found Maria’s name on the She Persisted book and had to look her up! What a BEAUTIFUL dancer she was!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Brava!!

[@queenteireigns6212]

Beautiful! Thanks for the history lesson!

[@JillASim]

Strength, grace, precision, and the negative space between movements creating tension with her partner (and story), when other ballerinas would have chosen hyper flexibility, delicateness, virtuosity. She was a true artist.

[@MsEmilylovesya]

So beautiful and elegant, I always click on the Google homage for this reason. She makes everything look effortless

[@insaelliott1318]

Oh - she was such a Queen of Dance! What charisma, elegance and attack!

[@se9f282]

She is very lovely. Married to Balanchine, and renowned for her performance of The Firebird.

[@woodenloonynickel]

Thank you.

[@AuntieMamie]

What must people think!!! Those were the days. Miss Tallchief is legendary. And she is an American.

[@andres16251]

Maria's technique= perfection

[@yelenazerk]

Woow amazing. Never knew there is so much to this pas de deux wow its looooooooong!!!

[@PeggyR70]

She looks light as air and has such incredible control of her movements. I dont know much about ballet but this looked as perfect as could be.

[@Yoliplanting]

She was exquisite and incomparable 👏👏👏💖💖💖💖🌸🌸🌸

[@cathyroque954]

She's amazing!🤩

[@MrQbenDanny]

What a great joy to see the magnificent Siegfried of ROYES FERNANDEZ!!!

[@sugarhoney2175]

Wouldn’t know her name if I didn’t look at the back a quarter in my hand 😢 thankful to these coins! Ballet always makes me cry she’s beautiful

[@ericahorton2162]

Wow! She;s amazing!

[@qatarbeyondthelens9144]

tallchief was an article in my sat

[@1psoas9]

Who is her partner here? He presents her beautifully

[@pamelabartock4696]

My favorite ballerina!

[@edithdlp8045]

Wow. The best I have seen. I just knew her because of google. I was missing out

[@leonorsnowe1823]

Absolutely beautiful. She is also in the book Gutsy women.💃

[@SweetTater]

Incredible talent.

[@CaseyRoche]

At 37 years old!

[@Action_Slacks]

Hard to believe! Most people can't even walk after age 35!

[@edithdlp8045]

@@Action_Slacks I had a brain tumor removal surgery at 43 and now at 45 need a walker to get around. I wish I could walk not dance like she did, simply awesome.

[@DianaKazimiera-]

This absolutely amazing dancers 👏👏👏

[@nauonevabb]

wow she is amazing

[@Henry-n7n8]

can't imagine all the training this took.

[@danawinsor1380]

I wish they would credit the excellent male dancer. Don't forget: a ballerina cannot perform a scene like this without the male dancer to lift her and bring her back down. Most people don't realize how strong these guys have to be!

[@drewr2983]

BEAUTIFUL. Thanks google.

[@maeve40fitness]

Learned from Maria and her sister Marjorie. Legends!

[@derphyn]

I just discovered the U.S. 25-cent coin has her image and her name in Osage on the back. The world was so fortunate to have her in it.

[@danawinsor1380]

Beautiful video -- thanks for posting! BTW, the title's not quite correct -- the Kennedy Center didn't open until 1970.

[@waboosejackson3711]

I first got a schooling about her, on my trimet ride in Portland Oregon, a gentleman asked if I was a dancer, I said No, I just dance pow wow style, he told me I had a dancer's body whatever that means.

[@cheyannelecamp226]

shes gorgeous

[@bananakids_1212]

Cool

[@eosornio1558]

Thank you google for letting me know this legend is Native American

[@sheilabloom6735]

I just found out she was a member of the Osage tribe; her sister was also a well-known ballerina.

[@MrAlexanderrangel]

she moves like no other person I've ever seen

[@Dammi-y1t]

Yo la conocí por la moneda especial que tengo😢😢

[@donteporchia1744]

🩰

[@AliciaMarkoe]

pretty

[@woodenloonynickel]

I have come to know sarcasm.

[@laynerickabaugh5909]

Happy Women History's month from Agnor-Hurt 3rd Grade!

[@tombaird2584]

And who is her partner???? She couldn't have done that without him!

[@gazzablanca]

It is John f kennedy