 Trying his hand at costume design, he created stage wear for himself and Sibley in Ashton's "Meditation from Thaïs" and for dancers in MacMillan's "Pavane", in Balanchine's "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" and "Symphony in C", and in Robbins's "In the Night".He also began to look for opportunities beyond Covent Garden.Between 1978 and 1980, he took leave of absence from the Royal Ballet to dance as guest artist with American Ballet Theatre in New York.