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Maria Tallchief  Maria Tallchief  Maria Tallchief (dancer and
teacher; born January 24, 1925, Fairfax, Oklahoma-April 11,
2013) "A ballerina takes steps given to her and makes them her
own. Each individual brings something different to the same
role," Maria Tallchief once said. "As an American, I believe in
great individualism. That's the way I was brought up." Tallchief
has been both muse and instrument, both the inspiration and the
living expression of the best our country has given the world.