List curated by Eldad Eyimife, AGMA Communications Coordinator
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we’re celebrating the extraordinary talent and contributions of AGMA’s Native American community. Artists like the Five Moons of American Ballet helped shape the history of ballet and opera, leaving an enduring mark on the art forms and paving the way for generations of artists. While no single spotlight can capture the full breadth of this legacy, AGMA has compiled a shortlist highlighting just a few of the remarkable Native American artists whose talent has graced stages across the country. We are proud to recognize their contributions and celebrate their place in history.
Maria Tallchief (1925-2013): Born and raised in northern Oklahoma, Maria Tallchief began her ballet training on the Osage Indian Reservation, which took her to the most prominent stages worldwide and earned her the title of America’s first major prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold the rank. Through her trailblazing career, she performed at AGMA houses like American Ballet Theatre and served as Ballet director at Lyric Opera of Chicago and on its Women’s Board. Her lasting mark on American Ballet has been honored in many ways, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996, receipt of the National Medal for the Arts in 1999, and posthumous induction into the National Native American Hall of Fame in 2018. Maria Tallchief’s fame continues today with a Barbie Doll made in her image as part of the Barbie Inspiring Women series and her likeness featured on a U.S. quarter, as well as a $1 coin celebrating American Indians in Ballet featuring the Five Moons of American Ballet.
Rosella Hightower (1920-2008): Another member of the Five Moons of American Ballet, Rosella Hightower was of Choctaw heritage and born in Durwood, Oklahoma, and trained in Kansas City, continuing her studies in New York before heading to Europe. She was the first of the five to dance with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1938. After the war began, she followed the company to New York and joined American Ballet Theatre in 1941, then known as Ballet Theatre. She won acclaim for her role in Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera with the Original Ballet Russe during the 1946-1947 season. In 1962, she founded the Centre de Danse Classique in Cannes, which became one of Europe’s leading ballet schools. She later served as Dance Director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1981 to 1983, the first American to hold the post, and also directed the Marseilles Ballet and La Scala Ballet. France named her a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1975.
Grant Youngblood: Lumbee Baritone, Grant Youngblood built his repertoire around Verdi, with significant Puccini roles earning praise from The New York Times for a “robust sound with ringing top notes.” He’s performed at plenty of AGMA signatories, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera , and Central City Opera. In 2024, he made history when Canterbury Voices and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic premiered the first opera composed entirely in an American Indian language, Loksi’ Shaali’ (Shell Shaker) in Oklahoma City, by Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and originated the role of Okhina’, the River spirit, in a cast of American Indian opera singers. His honors include the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation and recognition from the Metropolitan Opera National Council.