Alan Carter (24 December 1920 – 30 June 2009), was an English ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director, active in numerous countries in Europe and the Middle East.
Perhaps best remembered for his work in films, notably The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann, he was known in his later years as a ballet master and as a gifted painter, pianist, composer, and writer.
He completed his education at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, located in a church building on Conduit Street, where he studied acting and stagecraft as well as dance.
In 1938, Frederick Ashton, principal choreographer of the company, cast him and Richard Ellis as the Gemini in Constant Lambert's ballet Horoscope and then entrusted him with the title role in a revised and extended version of Harlequin in the Street, set to music by François Couperin.
After serving five years in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he returned to London and joined the newly formed Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in 1946 as principal dancer and choreographer.
"[5] Carter then moved on to films, serving as ballet master for The Red Shoes (1948) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), both produced by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, both starring ballerina Moira Shearer, and both featuring characters portrayed by Robert Helpmann and Léonide Massine.
[8] Once their daughter Alexandra was in university, the Carters began to spend winters in Spain, where they often offered a warm refuge to friends from the chilly climate of England.