orig. William Cook
born April 4, 1908, London, Eng.
died April 20, 1987, New York, N.Y., U.S.
British-born U.S. dancer, teacher, and choreographer.
In 1927 he joined Marie Rambert 's company, where he choreographed and danced such works as The Planets (1934) and The Lilac Garden (1936). In 1940 he moved to New York City, joining the new Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre ), for which he created many of his signature psychological ballets, including Pillar of Fire (1942) and Shadow of the Wind (1948). In these works he sought to convey emotional conflict and aspects of character and motivation. In 1974 he became associate director of American Ballet Theatre.