Maria Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina

She was George Ballanchine's muse for 20 years and his wife for 6; together they made the New York City Ballet an essential part of American culture with his choreography and her dazzling, technically bravura dancing in "Firebird," "Swan Lake," and other modern classics. Maria Tallchief's dignified autobiography describes their groundbreaking artistic collaboration with satisfying thoroughness. She is reserved about their personal relationship but candid about the increasing favor Ballanchine showed to younger dancers, which led to her departure from the company in 1966. Her story captures a key moment in ballet history.