Kirov, Diaghilev, and Tallchief are all big names in ballet. Kirov is a five-letter word referring to the Mariinsky Ballet, formerly known as the Kirov Ballet, which is one of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world. Diaghilev was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario, and founder of the Ballets Russes, an influential ballet company that revolutionized the art form. Tallchief was an American ballerina of Osage Nation descent who was the first Native American prima ballerina and was a principal dancer with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the New York City Ballet.