(1925-2012), Prima Ballerina
Born in Miami, Oklahoma, (Edna) Moscelyne Larkin was one of the distinguished Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma dubbed "The Five Moons." She was the only daughter of a Peoria/Shawnee father (Rueben Francis Larkin) and Eva Matlagova-Larkin, a Russian ballerina who tutored Moscelyne herself until at age 15, when Moscelyne was old enough to continue her studies in New York City.
Moscelyne joined the Wassily de Basil's Original Ballet Russe in Europe and the Americas. She also danced for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she met her future husband, Roman Jansinsky. They married in 1943.
The couple retired from performing in 1954 after their son (Roman Larkin Jasinski) was born, and they moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, in 1956 they founded a ballet school and the Tulsa Ballet (formerly the Tulsa Civic Ballet), which became a major regional company. It made its New York City premiere in 1983. Larkin also introduced area schoolchildren to ballet and taught ballet to higher level students at the University of Tulsa.
For her renowned talent and contributions, she was bestowed many honors: In the rotunda of the Oklahoma State Capitol building, she is portrayed in the mural Flight of Spirit. In 1978 Larkin was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
In 1988, she received the annual Dance Magazine award. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. Larkin was also named Outstanding Indian by the Council of American Indians.
Along with her Five Moons ballet contemporaries (sisters Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Louise Tallchief, Yvonne Chouteau and Rosella Hightower), Moscelyne Larkin gained international fame during the 20th century. In their solo performances, each of the ladies evoked traditions and beliefs of their five dissimilar tribal cultures.
In her elder years Moscelyne Larkin was stricken with Alzheimer's disease, and in 2012, she died from pneumonia in her home state of Oklahoma.
KB Schaller(Cherokee/Seminole heritage)is a journalist, researcher, novelist and illustrator. Her focus is on the achievements of minority women. A version of this article appears in her biographical collection 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, winner of an International Book Award, Women's Issues Category. Other KB Schaller books are available through Amazon.com and other booksellers. Email: soaring-eagles@msn.com
