Daniel Cooke

 

Daniel Cooke received his early training in his hometown of Washington D.C. where CeCe Farha and Mary Day were his first teachers.  He went on to study at The Orlando Ballet School and the Patel Conservatory in Tampa, Florida. As a Mary Day Scholar and Youth America Grand Prix medalist, Cooke completed his post-secondary training at Canada’s National Ballet School. There he joined the National Ballet of Canada, dancing works by Frederick Ashton, Rudolf Nureyev, and James Kudelka, among others. He was then invited to join the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company. Cooke’s repertoire at the Dutch National Ballet included classics by Sir Peter Wright, Alexei Ratmansky, and Hans van Manen. Cooke also danced new works by George Williamson, Eric Gauthier, Remi Wortmeyer, Ted Brandsen, and Ernst Meisner.

In addition to performing, Cooke began to choreograph in the Netherlands, creating two works for the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company. Noted for his interpretation of classical and modern works, Cooke has been praised by critics as “a gallant partner”, carrying off the most “technical [and] fiendish” choreography with “cleanliness [and] aplomb”. After returning to the United States, Cooke joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet for its penultimate seasons, adding the works of George Balanchine to his repertoire. After a season with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Cooke danced for American Repertory Ballet, dancing soloist roles in major classics such as Giselle, existing works and new creations including Septime Webre’s Fluctuating Hemlines, and Kirk Peterson’s Tears of The Moon and Beauty and The Beast.