原版英语RAZ 教案(R) Maria Tallchief - Prima Ballerina_DS.pdf

Visit www.readinga- for thousands of books and materials.WritingWatch a video clip of Swan Lake.Using a Venn diagram,compare ballet to another style of dance you know.Social StudiesCreate a poster to present to your class about the Osage tribe.Include details about their art,traditional clothing,where the tribe is located,and other interesting information.ConnectionsMaria Tallchief:Prima BallerinaA Reading AZ Level R Leveled BookWord Count:991www.readinga-ORUWritten by Kira Freed and Charlie AlolkoyLEVELED BOOK RMaria Tallchief:Prima Ballerinawww.readinga-Who was Maria Tallchief,and why is she an important figure in ballet?Focus QuestionWritten by Kira Freed and Charlie AlolkoyMaria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina16Glossaryballet(n.)a form of dance,performed to music,that uses exact,formal steps and movements(p.4)choreographer a person who chooses the style (n.)and arrangement of steps and moves for a dance performance (p.9)company(n.)a group of artists,such as dancers or actors,who work and perform together(p.8)elegant(adj.)dignified or graceful;beautiful in a simple way(p.4)grace(n.)ease and elegance in ones movements or behavior(p.7)inspiration(n.)a good influence;something that leads to a creative thought or activity(p.9)preserving(v.)taking care of and saving for the future(p.14)reservation(n.)land set aside by the United States government for Native Americans(p.4)stereotypes(n.)oversimplified images or ideas about a particular group of people or things that are widely held but often unfair or untrue(p.6)16Words to Knowballetchoreographercompany elegant grace inspiration preserving reservation stereotypesCorrelationLEVEL RN3030Fountas&PinnellReading RecoveryDRAMaria Tallchief:Prima BallerinaLevel R Leveled Book Learning AZWritten by Kira Freed and Charlie AlolkoyAll rights reserved.www.readinga-Front cover:Maria Tallchief performs in Firebird with the New York City Ballet in 1963.Her first performance in Firebird in 1949 made her a star.Title page:Tallchief poses for a portrait while in Washington D.C.in 1963.Page 3:The Osage tribe made Maria Tallchief an Osage Princess at a ceremony held in Fairfax,Oklahoma,in 1954.Photo Credits:Front cover,pages 10,11,12,13:Jack Mitchell/Archive Photos/Getty Images;title page:Vic Casamento/The Washington Post/Getty Images;page 3:Anonymous/AP/REX/Shutterstock;page 4:J.Scott Applewhite/AP Images;pages 5,6:Granger,NYC;page 7(left):Apic/Hulton Archive/Getty Images;page 7(right):Boris Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty Images;page 8:AP Images;page 9:Anthony Calvacca/(c)NYP Holdings,Inc./Getty Images;page 15:Bettmann/Getty Images15LegacyMaria Tallchief was an American treasure.As the first prima ballerina from the United States,she helped inspire a new style of ballet.As ballets first Native American star,she opened its doors to people of all backgrounds.Her grace,talent,and achievement helped move the world of ballet forward.A fellow dancer,Jacques dAmboise(ZHAHK dahm-BWAHZ)once said of Tallchief,“There is one word for her:grand.She was absolutely grand.”Maria Tallchief and Jacques dAmboise perform at the White House in 1964.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R153Table of ContentsA National Treasure .4Early Years .5New York:A Star Is Born .8Chicago:Master Teacher .13Legacy .15Glossary .16Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R14Maria Tallchiefs LifeMaria Tallchiefs LifeTallchief also spent time preserving the work of Balanchine,who died in 1983.She felt strongly that his ballets should be danced the way he had choreographed them.She and several other Balanchine ballerinas recorded parts of his ballets.That way,future students could learn from them.In 1996,Tallchief became a member of the National Womens Hall of Fame.This award honors people whose artistic gifts have improved American society.Tallchief died at age eighty-eight on April 11,2013,in Chicago.People around the world praised her life and work.1925 Born on January 241933 Moves to Los Angeles with family1937 Begins dance lessons with Madame Nijinska1942 Graduates from high school;moves to New York City and joins the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo1944 Choreographer George Balanchine joins Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo1948 Joins New York City Ballet and becomes its first prima ballerina1949 Performs in Firebird1956 Marries Henry Paschen1959 Daughter,Elise,born1965 Retires from performing at age forty-one;moves to Chicago1980 Founds the Chicago City Ballet2013 Dies on April 114A National TreasureThe date was September 29,1999.The place was Washington,D.C.The event was the award ceremony for the National Medal of Arts.This award is the highest honor given to an artist by a U.S.president.One of the people awarded that year was Maria Tallchief.A tall,elegant dancer,she had taken the world of ballet by storm fifty years earlier.How did Tallchief become American ballets first shining star?Her story begins on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma.President Clinton awards Maria Tallchief the National Medal of Arts.13Chicago:Master TeacherIn 1965,at age forty-one,Tallchief grew tired from all her hard work.Nine years earlier,she had married Henry Paschen,and they had a daughter together.Tallchief stopped dancing and moved to Chicago,Illinois,to be with them.In 1975,Tallchief became the creative director of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet.She started the Chicago City Ballet in 1980 because she felt that Chicago should have a leading ballet company.She was its creative director until 1987.Many of her students later became very successful in the world of ballet.Maria Tallchief dances with her only child,Elise Paschen,in Chicago.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R5Early YearsElizabeth Marie Tall Chiefnicknamed Betty Mariewas born on January 24,1925,in Fairfax,Oklahoma.She was born on the Osage(OH-sayj)Reservation,and her father,Alexander,was full-blooded Osage.Oil found on Osage land when he was young made many members of the tribe rich.As an adult,Alexander owned a large amount of property in Fairfax.Betty Maries mother,Ruth,came from Scottish and Irish settlers.She saw that Betty Marie and her younger sister,Marjorie,had a musical gift.Both girls took piano and dance lessons from an early age.As a child,Betty Marie was quiet and shy.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R12People praised Tallchief wherever she danced.They saw that she was a strong and graceful dancer and wanted to see her perform more.She was also light on her feet and exact in her movements.Tallchief danced in a grand yet free way that set her apart from other ballerinas.She was also respected for her intelligence and honesty.Tallchief danced the role of the White Swan in Swan Lake.6In 1933,when Betty Marie was eight,her parents decided to move the family to Los Angeles.They thought the girls needed a better education than Fairfax offered.When they moved,they found a dance school even before buying a house.The girls studied ballet,tap dancing,acrobatics,and Spanish dancing.Before long,Betty Marie and Marjorie were dancing at rodeos and county fairs.Both girls disliked the fake Native American dance routine they sometimes performed.It was an example of the stereotypes many people had about Native Americans.Betty Marie(left)and Marjorie(right)pose for a picture with their mother in 1930.Authentic Osage DancingOnly men were active dancers in ceremonial Osage dances.The women formed a circle around them and took small sidesteps back and forth in time with the drumbeat.While Betty Marie and Marjorie were growing up,ceremonial Native American dances were outlawed by the U.S.government.Grandma Tall Chief often took the girls to ceremonial Osage dances,which continued in secret.11Balanchine created some of his most beautiful roles for Tallchief.These included roles in Swan Lake and the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.While Tallchief was with the New York City Ballet,she performed with them in nineteen countries.She also danced on television and in the musical film Million Dollar Mermaid(1952).She was a guest dancer with the American Ballet Theatre as well.Tallchief dances with her partner in Balanchines Swan Lake.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R7At age twelve,Betty Marie decided to stop piano lessons and just study ballet.Thats when her life as a dancer really began.Soon after,she became a student of Bronislava Nijinska(brah-nuh-SLAH-vuh nuh-JIN-skuh),her first important ballet teacher.Betty Marie studied with Madame Nijinska from 1937 until 1942.During that time,she learned to dance with power,grace,and feeling.By the time she finished high school in 1942,she knew that ballet was the right path for her.Bronislava Nijinska(right)was the sister of Vaslav Nijinsky(left),one of the twentieth centurys greatest male dancers.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R10Tallchief wrote about her Firebird performance:“The city center sounded like a stadium.after somebodys made a touchdown.”In 1948,Balanchine helped start the New York City Ballet,and Tallchief joined the company.At first,it did not have a strong following.Everything changed when Tallchief danced in Firebird in 1949.The role made her famous.She eventually became the New York City Ballets first prima ballerina,or leading female dancer.She held the title for thirteen years,until 1965.8New York:A Star Is BornWhen Betty Marie was a teenager,all the well-known ballet dancers were Russian.The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo(ROOSS DU MOHN-tee KAR-loh)was a Russian ballet company that often performed in the United States.The company,which was based in New York,came to Los Angeles in 1938.Betty Marie attended all their performances and saw great ballet dancers for the first time.She was amazed.After Betty Marie graduated,she went to New York.The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo hired her as a dancer almost immediately.At that point,she changed her name to Maria Tallchief.Tallchief prepares to dance onstage in The Song of Norway(1944).9Two years after Tallchief joined the Russian ballet company,a choreographer named George Balanchine started working with them.Many people consider him one of the twentieth centurys most important choreographers.Building on classical ballet,which was graceful and flowing,he created a new style of American ballet.It required dancers to be very strong,quick,and athletic.George Balanchines choreography came to life with Maria Tallchiefs dancing.She became his musehis greatest source of artistic inspiration.Together,Tallchief and Balanchine lived and breathed ballet.They married in 1946.Their marriage only lasted five years,but they worked together for many more.Tallchief and Balanchine practiced ballet up to fourteen hours a day.Maria Tallchief:Prima Ballerina Level R