Imagine you're in a big theater. The lights are low and music fills the air.

Suddenly, a dancer leaps onto the stage. She spins and jumps higher than you've ever seen.

The crowd gasps and wonder. You look closer and see the dancer's bright eyes and shining smile.

She's Maria Talcief, one of the most famous ballerinas in America. She's about to show the world

something new and beautiful. Maria Talcief was born on January 24, 1925. Her full name was Elizabeth

Marie Tall Chief. She grew up in a small town called Fairfax in Oklahoma. Maria was part

Osage, a Native American tribe. Her father was a leader in the tribe. Her mother was not Native

American, but she loved music and dancing. Maria's family cared a lot about their traditions

and their dreams. Even when Maria was little, she loved to move.

She liked to dance and play music in her house. Her mother noticed right away. When Maria was just three years old, her mother started her in ballet lessons.

Maria's younger sister, Marjorie, took ballet too. The two sisters would dance together.

Sometimes they pretended to put on shows for their dolls.

Maria worked hard at ballet, even as a little girl.

She practiced every day.

She learned how to point her toes and make big leaps.

She listened to her teachers and tried to get every step

just right. She liked the feeling of flying across the floor. She also played the piano very

well, but dancing was her favorite. When Maria was eight, her family moved from Oklahoma

to Los Angeles, California. They wanted the girls to have better ballet

teachers. Maria missed her home, but she was excited to learn more. Her new teachers were strict.

Some of them didn't think girls with Native American roots could become famous ballerinas.

But Maria didn't let that stop her. She wanted to show what she could do.

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