"Tallchief" is an autobiography written by and about Maria Tallchief, America's Prima Ballerina. In the book we learn her journey into becoming a prima ballerina. The book emphasizes hard work and determination were the qualities that helped Maria reach her success. Maria Tallchief faces setbacks, but continues to strive for what she wants and eventually makes it and is a successful ballerina. ( )

This story was very interesting of a girl . Her heritage and blood line was full of traditions and stories. And again ballet/dance speaks for those to express themselves. ( )

WOW! Albeit lengthy, this book was fantastic! It gave so much context and interesting detail. Her story is different than many others because she did not grow up impoverished or without much opportunity. Maria Tallchief was born a dancer, always practicing and perfecting her dynamic movements. She always had a private teacher and went to schools just for ballet. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she met with famous Russian dancers who further inspired her. She eventually joined this dream team, the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in New York. One of my favorite things about this book is when I realized the metaphor she used for the secret of music, to which she later compared herself. At the beginning of the book she said, "The frame of good music has to be strong enough to hold the weight of a whole symphony, and delicate enough to break the heart." Near the end of the book, in hoping to join the famed ballet dancers, she told herself, "What I needed to learn was how to be strong enough to dance for hours in a matinee.... And I needed to be delicate enough to break the human heart." This jumped out at me and I liked this beautifully worded story even more. ( )

Tallchief is a great autobiography written by a famous prima ballerina named Marie Tallchief. Throughout the book she explains her journey as a dancer and how she became a prima ballerina. The use of metaphors in this story gives us the ability to visualize what it was like for her to learn to play the piano and dance. Hard work and a good foundation were key to her future success as a dancer.
As a reader, we learn the importance focus and determination play in becoming a professional dancer. My favorite part is when she explains how her new Russian ballet teacher told her she was doing everything wrong and that she was as strict as a "drill sergeant in the army". I will never forget the first time I took class with my Georgian ballet teacher, and it was very similar to Tallchiefs experience. I really enjoyed reading about Tallchief and how she became a famous dancer. ( )

"Tallchief; America's Prima Ballerina" is the autobiography of Maria Tallchief beginning at her birth in 1925 and ending at the launch of her professional career. Her father was an Osage Native American, and Maria was born on the Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. Since the people on the reservation had struck oil, she was well off. Her mother's ancestors had come from Scotland and had moved west in a covered wagon. Maria discusses learning ballet and piano while interweaving information about her father's people and their forbidden culture. Native American language and religious celebrations were considered illegal, but the Osage people did not care. In 1933, Maria, her parents, and her sister took the long journey to Los Angeles, staying in cabins and eating bacon, eggs, and hamburgers the entire way. The first thing Maria's mother did in Los Angeles was find the girls a new dance instructor, who had to reteach them everything they had learned wrong. At age 12, Maria had to decide whether to give up piano or dance. She chose to end her piano lessons, since she could experience both music and dance while learning ballet. She learned ballet techniques from a strict teacher, Madame Nilinska, who taught her to feel the composer's emotions in the music and reenact them through dance. After seeing the ballet performance of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, she realized that joining such a group was her dream and it was the life she wanted to live. The story ends with her parents telling her goodbye on the train to New York where she would try out for the ballet group. The language creates a strong suggestion that she was successful in her tryout.
I believe this story is interesting since it chose to examine Maria's childhood and end at her professional career instead of extending throughout her entire life. It discussed the challenges of Americans during the early 1900's, especially Native Americans. It also discusses class, mentioning the Tallchief's oil money and the things it gave them. However, the illustrations in the book are very bland and blurry and could be used to add more to the story. ( )