Founder and director of new world ballet, Nadine Cole studied with teachers from Chicago and New York, including V. Dokoudovsky and G. Balanchine, and began her career in Chicago with Bockman Ballet and Ballet Guild of Chicago.

Always most interested in teaching and choreography she established her first school and company, ballet Etudes, in Northern Indiana. She retired in 1964, to marry music professor WIlliam P. Cole and to raise their four children while choreographing and teaching for several schools, colleges and opera companies.

After the death of her husband she moved to Humboldt eventually establishing New World Youth Ballet, producing dancers who won scholarships to School of American Ballet, San Franscisco Ballet and others. For the company she choreographed and produced full length ballets in addition to several 1 act productions. She retired following the full length production Sleeping Beauty in 2004. She has since taught for Vassar College and Auburn School of Ballet and has occasionally returned to guest teach for the New World Ballet.