Ashton, Sir Frederick
Ashton, Sir Frederick (1906-88), British choreographer and ballet dancer. He studied under Leonide Massine and Marie Rambert and in 1935 became resident choreographer with the Vic-Wells company. In 1963 he was knighted and succeeded Ninette de Valois as director of the Royal Ballet (until 1970). He created both traditional and abstract ballets, including Symphonic Variations (1946), Cinderella (1948), The Dream (1964), and Rhapsody (1980).