In “The Osage Firebird” by Sudipta Bardhan, the author discusses the life and hard work of Maria Tallchief. Betty Marie, best known as Maria Tallchief, always wanted to be a ballerina. Since she was a kid, until she became an adult, her dream was to be a professional dancer. Maria made her dream come true and became a dancer.
Body 1:
Betty Marie Tallchief, born in 1925, spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. As a child, Betty Marie listened to her grandmother’s stories of the fire spirit and animals. Much of what Betty knew about her Osage heritage came from Grandmother Tall Chief. She saw herself as a “typical Indian girl – shy, docile, introverted.” Ballet brought her out of her shell. She took her
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She started using the name Maria instead of Betty Marie. She might have chosen to change her last name as well. But Tallchief refused to deny her heritage. Nothing would ever make her change her last name.
Body 4:
Maria Tallchief became was the first American in a century to dance for the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1953, President Eisenhower named her “Woman of the year.” That same year, the state of Oklahoma declared June 29 “Maria Tallchief’s day.” In her long career, Tallchief’s most famous performance was in The Firebird. As she danced, Tallchief must have remembered her grandmother’s voice recounting the Osage Legends of fire spirits walking the earth.
Conclusion:
Maria has always dreamed of being a dancer. She went through many things to become a professional dancer. She used to listen to her grandmother’s stories about fire spirits and animals. When she danced in The Firebird, she felt like an actual bird on fire. She could listen to her grandmother’s voice recounting the Osage legends of fire spirits walking the earth. Performing The Firebird, Tallchief combined her heritage with the