State of the Arts where she studied at the Dorothy Perkins School of Dance. In 1938 she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Hightower’s dance career also includes performances in such noted ballet companies as Ballet Theatre, , Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, and the . Hightower married Jean Robier, a French artist, and she moved to , France. Hightower’s love of dance resulted in her establishing the Center courtesy of the OklahomaPhotographs Arts Council. for Classical Dance in Cannes, France. She has worked as director of the Marseilles Opera Ballet, Ballet de Nancy, and the Ballet of Paris Opera. Hightower was named an Cultural Treasure in 1997. She died in 2008. —Larkin was born in Mi- ami, Oklahoma, on January 14, 1925, of both Writer N. Scott Momaday. Russian and Shawnee-Peoria Indian descent. She learned ballet from her mother, a former dancer. As a teenager, Larkin traveled to New York to study dance under such notable artists as Mikhail Mordkin, Anatole Vilzak-Shollar, and Vincenzo Celli. At the age of fifteen, she joined the Original Ballet Russe. Larkin’s professional career included performances across the United States, Europe, and South America. She married Roman Jasinski, a ballet dancer, and the couple joined the Bal- let Russe de Monte Carlo. The couple returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they established the Tulsa Civic Ballet, now known as Theatre. Larkin was named an Oklahoma Cultural Treasure in 1997. —Tallchief was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, on January 24, 1925. Her heritage includes both Osage and European ancestry. She and her sister, Marjorie, both studied dance and piano at an early age. She continued her studies when the family moved to Los Angeles, California. Following her high school graduation, Tallchief traveled to New York, where she became an apprentice for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Tallchief’s illustrious dance career includes leading performances in Orpheus, Firebird, , and The Nutcracker. She performed for notable individuals including President Dwight D. Eisenhower and England’s Queen Elizabeth. She married Russian choreographer , and together they created the , where she became its premier dancer. Tallchief was named an Oklahoma Cultural Treasure in 1997. Marjorie Tallchief—Born in Denver, Colorado, Tallchief was raised in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Like her sister, Maria, she studied dance at an early age. Her dance career includes performances with the American Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, the Chicago Opera Ballet, and the Harkness Ballet. Tallchief married , a choreographer, dancer, and director in 1947. That same year, the couple became the first Americans to join the prestigious . In 1958 Tallchief became the first American since World War II to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, . One of the highlights of her luminous career was her performance with the Paris Opera Ballet at Versailles, where she helped welcome President John F. Kennedy’s of- ficial visit to France. Following her retirement from performing live, she helped develop the Dallas Civic Ballet; served as director of the Chicago School Ballet; and was named director of dance at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. Tallchief was named an Oklahoma Cultural Treasure in 1997.

42 Oklahoma Almanac