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 The Planets (1934) and The Lilac Garden (1936). In 1940 he moved to New York City, joining the new Ballet Theatre (later {{link=American Ballet Theatre">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.