BIOGRAPHY
Adam was born on 22nd July 1971 in Tooting, London. He started tap dancing at the age of 5 and ballet at 7, training at the Jean Winkler School of Dance in Tooting. At age 11 he continued his training at Arts Educational School London where he also studied Modern Dance, Jazz, Acting, Singing, Music, Contemporary, Character Dance and Stage Fighting. During his time there Adam appeared with London Festival ballet at Chatelet Theatre Paris in Peter Schaufuss' La Sylphide and at Royal Festival Hall in Nutcracker. He also made an appearance in the BBC's Merry Wives of Windsor. At 16 he moved to the Royal Ballet School to continue his training. Whilst at the Royal Ballet School Adam won the Ursula Moreton Choreographic Competition (1988) and represented the school at the Prix de Lausanne (1989 Tokyo) alongside Tetsuya Kumakawa, where he won The Professional Level Prize (other noted dancers at the Prix that year were Monica Zamora, Anne de Vos and Ethan Steifel). At his graduation performance Adam took the lead role of Young Man in Ashton's Two Pigeons at the Royal Opera House. In September 1989 Adam joined the Royal Ballet Company. He rose quickly through the ranks, being promoted to First Artist and Soloist in 1991, First Soloist 1993 and being made Principal Dancer in 1994.
His first leading role was in MacMillan's Prince of the Pagodas in which he played both Kings of the North and South in 1990 followed the same year with the role of the Prince in the same ballet partnering Darcey Bussell. He also made his debut as the Prince in Swan Lake with Bussell in Austin, Texas, on tour with the Royal Ballet in 1991. His first performances partnering Sylvie Guillem were in 1991, firstly in Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and then in Balanchine's Symphony in C 2nd movement. Adam also partnered Viviana Durante in this ballet's 1st movement. MacMillan created the role of Solyony for Adam in his Winter Dreams and later a soloist role in his Judas Tree. Other Principal MacMillan roles Adam danced at the Royal Ballet were Romeo (with Fiona Chadwick, Darcey Bussell and Sylvie Guillem), Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling (with Viviana Durante, Leanne Benjamin, Gilllian Revie and Mara Galeazzi), Lescaut and Gaoler in Manon, Husband in Anastasia (with Durante), Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Solo Boy in Gloria, Husband in The Invitation (with Sarah Wildor), Foreman in Judas Tree, solo boy in Fin de Jour, pas de deux boy in Danses Concertantes, Vershinin in Winter Dreams and Drum Major in Different Drummer.
Ashley Page was the first choreographer to make a Principal role on Adam in his Bloodlines. He then went on to create roles for Adam in Renard, Ebony Concerto, Two Part Invention and Room of Cooks. Another choreographer Adam worked extensively with is William Tuckett who made roles for Adam in Enclosure, Present Histories, Desirable Hostilities, Wind in the Willows, Proverb and Soldiers Tale. Tuckett has also choreographed on Adam for two dance films for Channel 4, Duet and The Sandman (with The Quay Brothers).
Other Principal roles danced with the Royal Ballet include, Thais pas de deux, Raymonda pas de deux, Symphonic Variations, Dorkon in Daphnis and Chloe, La Valse and The Poet in Illuminations (Ashton); Agon, Ballet Imperial, Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Balanchine), Young Gentleman in La Ronde (Tetley), Tombeaux, 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café (Bintley), First Red Knight in Checkmate (De Valois), Tsarevitch in The Firebird (Fokine), The Bridegroom in Les Noces (Nijinska), Espada in Don Quixote (Barishnikov), A Shropshire Lad and Magpie's Tower (Tuckett), Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte (Wheeldon), Fanfare and Dances with Death (Hart). Adam also danced to great acclaim in William Forsythe's Herman Schmerman and a created role in his Firstext, both with Sylvie Guillem. He joined Guillem for her evening at the Hampton Court Festival and has also danced with Irek Mukhamedov and Company (Bilbao) and Darcey Bussell and Friends (Edinburgh and Hampton Court Festival).
Adam left The Royal Ballet in February 1997 to pursue his career further.
In 1995 Adam was approached by Matthew Bourne to join his company Adventures in Motion Pictures for their new production of Swan Lake. He joined them in August '95 to create the role of The Swan/Stranger and has performed the role to great acclaim at Sadlers Wells Theatre London ('95), Piccadilly Theatre London ('96), Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles ('97), Neil Simon Theatre Broadway ('98), Dominion Theatre London (2000) and various theatres on tour in Britain, Japan and Germany ('95-2003). In 1997 Adam also took part in Bourne's Cinderella, creating the role of the Pilot opposite Sarah Wildor's Cinderella at the Piccadilly Theatre London. He also played the role of the Angel and toured to the Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles with it ('99) and also danced in Matthew’s Spitfire.
In 1998 Adam started a relationship with The Scottish Ballet when he was asked to perform the role of Hoffmann in Peter Darrell's Tales of Hoffmann. He later performed with them in Robert North's Romeo and Juliet playing Romeo for two tours. He has also appeared as a guest artist with La Scala Milan playing Palemon opposite Alessandra Ferri in Ashton's Ondine and at Rome Opera House dancing Nijinski's role in Jeux with Carla Fracci and Deborah Bull. Scottish Ballet also gave Adam his first professional commission as a choreographer. In 1998 Adam choreographed Just Scratchin' the Surface for their summer tour. Since then Adam has created works for Images of Dance, Elegy for Two ('98), Reflections ('99), Le Corsair Act 3 ('00 with Margaret Barbieri) and The Bawdy Song Travellers ('02). Adam also choreographed Six Faces for K Ballet Japan ('01) in which he also danced alongside ex Royal Ballet Dancers Tetsuya Kumakawa, Stuart Cassidy, William Trevitt, Gary Avis and Mathew Dibble. Adam has appeared at the Exeter Festival every summer between 2000 and 2003, heading evenings of dance co-produced with Iain Webb. In 2001 the performances included a major revival of Peter Darrell's Othello as well as Page's Room of Cooks (original cast), Scottish Dances from Flowers of the Forest (Bintley) and a piece Adam choreographed especially for the festival, The Art of Touch. In 2002 Adam and Sarah Wildor presented a tribute to Sir Kenneth MacMillan at Exeter which included a revival of his Sea of Troubles alongside Manon Act 3 pas de deux, Summer pas de deux, Isadora solos, Requiem solo and Side Show. Adam and Sarah also appeared with Star dancers Japan in February 2002 in their tribute to Sir Kenneth MacMillan. In 2003 the performances included the first professional performance that Adam and his brother Simon appeared together in. Wayne McGregor created a duet especially for the Exeter Festival for them called Binocular. Also included was a revival of Peter Darrells Jeux and Hans van Manens Sarcasms (with Zenaida Yanowsky).
The Adam Cooper Company represented the UK at the Washington International Ballet Festival, March 2003, performing a revival of Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Sea of Troubles. Adam also restaged and danced in Sea of Troubles for English National Ballet for their season at Jerwood Theatre at the Royal Opera House 2004
Adam returned to dance as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet frequently since leaving the company, as Romeo in Tokyo with Darcey Bussell, in Thais pas de deux in Washington D.C., Steptext pas de deux with Deborah Bull for the Re-opening Gala at the Royal Opera House and for Anthony Dowell's leaving Gala. Adam returned for the Royal Ballet's Sadlers Wells season 1999 where he danced Palemon in Ondine with Sarah Wildor, Balanchine's Serenade with Darcey Bussell and Zenaida Yanowsky, the lead role in Page's Fearful Symmetries and a role in Tuckett's Turn of the Screw. Most recently Adam returned for the title role in Cranko's Onegin for the Royal Ballet's first performance of this ballet with Tamara Rojo and created alongside Zenaida Yanowsky William Tuckett's Proverb. He also has worked with William Tuckett for ROH2 creating the role of Badger in Wind in the Willows 2002 and The Soldier in A Soldiers Tale 2003, 2004 both at Jerwood Theatre at Royal Opera House. A Soldiers Tale also toured to Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and was filmed in 2009 with the original cast of Adam, Will Kemp, Matthew Hart and Zenaida Yanowsky.
Adam has made several appearances in T.V. and film including, The Viscount in Madame Bovary (BBC), Billy Elliot (Working Title Films), Swan Lake (BBC), Winter Dreams (BBC) and Dance Ballerina Dance (BBC). The Merry Wives of Windsor (BBC), Royal Ballet Winter Gala (BBC), The South Bank Show (ITV), Jason and the Argonauts (Hallmark), Royal Variety Performance ’97 and 2011.
Adam has now branched out into the world of Musical Theatre. In May 2002 he choreographed and starred in a revival of Rodgers' and Hart's On Your Toes at the Haymarket Theatre Leicester, which transferred very successfully to The Royal Festival Hall in August and September 2003 and toured Japan in March 2004. He also choreographed and starred in Singin' in the Rain which was performed at Sadlers Wells Theatre for their summer season 2004 and then in Leicester at the Haymarket Theatre. Other choreography for musicals includes Garbo The Musical, which had its World Premiere in Stockholm in September 2002 and the Olivier Award winning Grand Hotel at The Donmar Warehouse 2004 directed by Michael Grandage which Adam received an Olivier nomination for his choreography. Promises, Promises at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield 2005, Side by Side by Sondheim at the Venue Leicester Square directed by Hannah Chiswick and Carousel at Savoy Theatre, London and UK tour 2008-2009 directed by Lindsey Posner. Adam was invited by Paul Kerryson to Direct and Choreograph the opening production at the new Curve Theatre in Leicester 2008, Simply Cinderella, a brand new musical. In 2009 the impresario Raymond Gubbay commissioned Adam to write, direct, choreograph and star in a new dance show using the music of Richard Rodgers called Shall We Dance which had a successful summer run at Sadler’s Wells Theatre London In 2013 Adam choreographed the successful production of Bernstein’s Candide at Menier Chocolate Factory, London, working alongside director Matthew White. In 2014 Ed Hall asked Adam to choreograph a new musical about the Kinks called Sunny Afternoon which opened at Hampstead Theatre before transferring to Harold Pinter Theatre London for 2 years and then a UK tour for another year.
Adam set up Adam Cooper Productions in 2004 and its 1st production was Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a dance drama co-concieved and co-directed by Adam and Lez Brotherston. It had its World Premiere in January 2005 in Tokyo and further touring in Japan to great success. A 4 week season at Sadlers Wells followed in summer 2005.
Alongside choreographing and directing Adam has enjoyed a successful career as an actor in musicals and plays. They include, The Guest Star in The Play What I Wrote (UK Tour 2003); Cliff in Wallflowering (Sevenoaks Playhouse 2005); Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls starring alongside Patrick Swayze, Sally Ann Triplett, Kelly Price, Neil Morrisey and Clare Sweeney (Piccadilly Theatre 2006); Ramon in Zorro (World Premiere Tour 2008); The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (Royal Festival Hall 2008); Phil Davis in White Christmas for 3 Christmas Seasons alongside Aled Jones, Suzanne Shaw, Roy Dotrice and Tom Chambers (Plymouth, Lowry Salford, Sunderland, Mayflower Southampton, Dublin, Liverpool).
In 2011 Adam was asked to star once again as Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain in a new production at Chichester Festival Theatre directed by Jonathan Church with choreography by Andrew Wright. The production was a huge success and transferred to the Palace Theatre London with the original principal cast including Adam, Scarlett Strallen, Danny Crossley, Katherine Kingsley and Michael Brandon. Adam completed the West End run of 16 months and then returned to the show in 2014 for its first Japan season. Since then Adam has completed 2 more Japan seasons in 2017 and 2021, notching up over 700 performances!
In 2014 Adam was approached by Josef E Köpplinger the Staatsintendant of Gärtnerplatz Theater in Munich to co-direct and choreograph a new musical version of Dangerous Liaisons which had a successful run at Cuvillies Theatre in 2015 and at Gärtnerplatz Theater in 2018. Since then Adam has choreographed a number of musicals and Operettas for the Gärtnerplatz Theater, The Merry Widow 2017 (also appearing on stage as Death), On The Town (Theatre St Gallen 2017, Gärtnerplatz Theater 2019), Three Men in the Snow 2019, Der Vetter Aus Dingsda 2020, the European Premiere of Tootsie 2022, The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein 2023, and the World Premiere of Mata Hari the musical 2023. Adam has also directed and choreographed for Gärtnerplatz Theater, Candide 2016, 2022 and The Rake’s Progress opera 2022.
Awards include, for his performance in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, The 1995 Time Out Award, 1997 Evening Standard Award, 1999 Fred Astaire Award and a nomination as Best Actor in a Musical at the 1999 Tony Awards. Critics Circle Dance award 2004 for best choreography of a Musical (On Your Toes) and Critics Circle audience award 2004 for favourite dancer.
Adam has taught extensively throughout his career including for Arts Educational School London, University of Oklahoma, London Studio Centre and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts where he is also a Patron. In addition he has lead numerous workshops and demonstrations, hosted award evenings, judged dance and musical theatre competitions and been guest speaker at events worldwide. Adam also has a diploma in Creative Producing.
Adam married Sarah Wildor in August 2000 and they have 2 children, Naomi and Alexander.
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