Yvonne Chouteau was the epitome of a prima ballerina in the eyes of artist Mike Larsen.

“When you were in her presence with her, she was THE prima ballerina. There's no other way to describe her. … We watched her move, and we could see her on stage all those years ago,” he said.

“Truly, I cannot describe the loss. It seems like recently we have lost so many legends. And Yvonne was one of those. She was one of the legends — and not just in Oklahoma.”

Chouteau, one of the five American Indian ballerinas from Oklahoma who gained worldwide fame in the 20th century, died Sunday after a long illness. She was 86.