Walter Raines was a charter member of Dance Theatre of Harlem who went on to dance with the company and direct the school. He was an all-around "man of the theater," well-versed in choreography, costuming, and art direction. Raines trained at the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Theater and School of American Ballet. He received a degree from Carnegie-Mellon University. He performed with DTH from 1968 to 1978 and in 1978 became an associate professor at City College of New York. DTH and the Capitol Ballet of Washington were two of the companies for which Raines made ballets, yet he was also the first black choreographer to work for the Royal Opera in London (for which he staged Michael Tippett's Ice Break in 1977). Raines died from complications due to AIDS.