http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=9156

Society Unveils Native American Ballerina Sculptures

11/28/2007

A group of larger-than-life bronze statues depicting Oklahoma's five
internationally acclaimed Native American ballerinas were unveiled
Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the west lawn of the Tulsa Historical Society.

Entitled "The Five Moons," the sculptures portray Rosella Hightower,
Moscelyne Larkin, Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Tallchief and Yvonne
Chouteau, who was able to attend the unveiling. The project's name is taken
from the 1967 ballet "The Four Moons," a production choreographed
specifically for the ballerinas.

"The Five Moons" is a collaborative project between the Tulsa Historical
Society and the Tulsa Ballet. Funding for the statues was made possible
through generous donations made by Charles and Peggy Stephenson and by the
Barnett Family Foundation.

The five sculptures were created by Gary Henson, a northeastern Oklahoma
artist and son of Native American artist Inez Running Rabbit. Henson also
served as the point-up artist for "The Great Spirit" sculpture in Woodward
Park on the southeast corner of Peoria Avenue and 21st Street in Tulsa.

"The Five Moons" is based on designs by the late sculptor Monte England.
During the project's design process, each ballerina submitted a photo
illustrating the ballet, position and costume she preferred for the
sculpture. "The Five Moons" has taken over a decade to design and complete.

When the five Native American dancers began their careers in the early
1940s, Europeans dominated ballet. However, their talents, dedication and
determination took the women to the top of the international field.

Larkin, born of Shawnee-Peoria and Russian descent in Miami, Okla., began
her career as a member of the Original Ballet Russe. She co-founded the
Tulsa Ballet in 1956 with her late husband Roman Jasinski and remains the
company's artistic director emerita. Larkin has been instrumental in
developing dance programs in Tulsa Public Schools.

Maria Tallchief, known as "America's Prima Ballerina," also was dubbed
"Woman of the Year" by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. She founded
the Chicago City Ballet in 1981. Her sister Marjorie, the first American to
become Premiere Danseuse Etoile of the Paris Opera, founded the Dallas
Ballet. Both were born in Fairfax, Okla., and are of Osage descent.

At 14, Chouteau, who is of Cherokee descent, became the youngest American
to become a member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Together with
husband Miguel Terekhov, also in attendance Wednesday evening, she later
established the first fully accredited U.S. dance department at the
University of Oklahoma. Chouteau was born in Vinita, Okla.

Hightower, a member of the Choctaw Tribe from Ardmore, Okla., was named
director of the famed Paris Opera Ballet in 1980. She is also noted for
founding Ecole Superieure de Danse, a distinguished French dance academy.