The five ballerinas

Capturing a treasure

Documentary highlights the life of Maria Tallchief, one of Oklahoma’s Indian ballerinasIt’s something the women themselves marvel at: how five Indian girls, roughly equal in age, from small towns in Oklahoma would grow up to become legends in the world of dance.

The five women known as “Oklahoma’s Indian Ballerinas”—Maria Tallchief, Marjorie Tallchief, Rosella Hightower, Yvonne Chouteau and Moscelyne Larkin—all had acclaimed and influential careers, first as performers, then as teachers and directors.

And in their native state, the five are equally appreciated—enshrined in a Mike Larsen mural in the State Capitol in 1991, collectively named Oklahoma State Treasures in 1997, and on Nov. 14, captured in a series of bronze sculptures to be unveiled on the grounds of the Tulsa Historical Society.