Daniel Cooke received his early training in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He went on to study at The Orlando Ballet School and the Patel Conservatory in Tampa, FL. As a Mary Day Scholar and Youth America Grand Prix medalist, Cooke completed his post-secondary training at Canada’s National Ballet School and 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, Remi Wortmeyer, Ted Brandsen, and Ernst Meisner, and solos by Eric Gautier.

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 internationally 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 season, 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 to acclaim in major classics such as Giselle, and in existing works and new creations by Septime Webre and Kirk Peterson. Cooke joined Oklahoma City Ballet in 2020 as a member of the corps de ballet. Since that time, he has taken on new creations by Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye, and featured roles in the works of Jerome Robbins, Septime Webre, and Nicolo Fonte, and has choreographed for Future Voices: A Choreographic Showcase.