MARIA TALLCHIEF

by Tobi Tobias ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 17, 1970

'Whatever happened to. . . ?' At forty-one Maria Tallchief ""'hung up her toe shoes' and went home"" and the answer to a question adults might pose tells children something they seldom hear: an auspicious career is not the less so for being terminated. Especially as it retains its luster here--in the eloquent drawings as much as in the recounted triumphs--and its basis--natural talent plus utmost dedication. Interest inheres besides in the 'story' of Maria Tallchief: an Indian father who golfed on oil revenues; a Scotch-Irish mother ambitious for her daughter to become a concert pianist; and Betty Marie herself, with ""no time for doing nothing,"" torn at twelve between the two things she loved doing most, playing the piano and dancing. With Balanchine comes a glimpse of recent ballet history, and the break-up of their marriage rings truer than in most juveniles. At the last we see a glowing photograph of Maria Tallchief and the daughter who figured in her decision to give up dancing: there's a rightness about this that's reassuring in a world of many wrongs.

Pub Date: Aug. 17, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: T. Y. Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION