[1] His instruction was steeped in the Bournonville tradition, training with Harald Lander, although he also studied with Vera Volkova, a disciple of Agrippina Vaganova.
In the 1950s, Stanley Williams was performing as a principal dancer with George Krista's Ballet Comique in London, where he also stood as balletmaster.
By 1964, Williams's reputation had reached George Balanchine, who invited him to instruct at the School of American Ballet in New York City.
Williams contrasted slow movement with sudden, almost spastic moves, and spoke in vague terms that some students found hard to understand.
[citation needed] Williams often stressed his dislike of certain features of the Russian ballet style, which in his opinion, lacked the movement flow, continuity and contrast he was seeking.