Choreographer
Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper trained at the Arts Educational School and at The Royal Ballet School in his home city of London. In 1989 he joined the ensemble of the Royal Ballet as a classical dancer, rising to soloist in 1994 and appearing in choreographies created by Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, Michel Fokine, Bronislawa Nijinska, Mikhail Baryshnikov, William Forsythe and others. He has worked on a freelance basis since 1997, appearing throughout the world as a performer, choreographer and director. He gained international fame in the leading role of the Swan/Stranger in Matthew Bourne's »Swan Lake« which he created for the first performance in 1995 and for his performance as the 25-year-old Billy in the film »Billy Elliot«.
On the international stage, Adam Cooper has appeared in such roles as Don Lockwood in »Singinʼ in the Rain« (in London's West End, Chichester, Leicester, among others), Phil Davis in »White Christmas« (Southampton, Dublin, Liverpool, Plymouth, Manchester, Sunderland), The Soldier in »A Soldierʼs Tale« (Japan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden), the leading role in »Shall We Dance« and the solo part in Russell Maliphant's »Two: Four: Ten« (Sadler’s Wells Theatre), Ramon in »Zorro – The Musical« (UK tour), Tin Man in »Wizard of Oz« (London's Royal Festival Hall), Cliff in »Wallflowering« (Sevenoaks), Sky Masterson in »Guys and Dolls« (West End), Valmont in »Les Liaisons Dangereuses« (Japan, London), Junior Dolan in »On Your Toes« (Leicester, London, Japan), Badger in »Wind in the Willows« (Royal Opera House Covent Garden), The Pilot in Matthew Bourne's »Cinderella« and Romeo, Tybalt, Crown Prince Rudolf (»Mayerling«), Onegin, Lescaut (»Manon«) and many other leading roles in productions by the Royal Ballet Company.
Adam Cooperʼs own choreographies include pieces such as »Sunny Afternoon« (Harold Pinter Theatre, London, Hampstead Theatre, London), »Evita« (Det Ny Teater, Copenhagen), »Candide« (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), »Roberto Devereux« (Opera Holland Park, London), »Carousel« (Savoy Theatre, London, UK tour), »Imagine This« (Theatre Royal, Plymouth), »Side by Side by Sondheim« (The Venue, Leicester Square, London), »Les Liaisons Dangereuses« (Japan, Sadlerʼs Wells Theatre), »Promises, Promises« (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), »Grand Hotel« (Donmar Warehouse, London), »Singin' in the Rain« (Sadlerʼs Wells Theatre, Leicester Haymarket Theatre), »On Your Toes« (Leicester Haymarket Theatre, Japan, Royal Festival Hall), »Garbo – The Musical« (Stockholm), »The Nature of Touch« (Exeter Festival), »Six Faces« (K-Ballet Japan), »Just Scratchinʼ the Surface« (Scottish Ballet), »On the Town« (Theater St. Gallen), »La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein« (Semperoper Dresden) and »Elegy for Two«, »Reflections« and »The Bawdy Song Travellers« for the London-based company »Images of Dance«.
As director and choreographer, he has so far been responsible for productions such as »Shall We Dance« at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre, »Simply Cinderella« at the Curve Theatre Leicester and »Les Liaisons Dangereuses« in Japan and London.
For his performance in »Swan Lake«, Adam Cooper was awarded the Time Out Award in 1995, the Evening Standard Dance Award in 1997 and the Fred Astaire Award on New York's Broadway in 1999 and was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical at the Tony Awards in 1999. He also received the Critics Circle Dance Award in 2003 for his choreography for »On The Toes« and the Critics Circle Audience Award as Best Dancer, and was nominated for the Olivier Award in 2004 for his choreography for »Grand Hotel«.
His work for film and television includes »Madame Bovary« (BBC), »Jason and the Argonauts« (Hallmark), »Duet« (Channel 4), »The Sandman« (Channel 4) and »Dance, Ballerina Dance« (BBC).
He made his debut at the Gärtnerplatztheater as co-director and choreographer for the first performance of the musical »Gefährliche Liebschaften« by Marc Schubring and Wolfgang Adenberg. Further he choreographed here »Die lustige Witwe« and »Drei Männer im Schnee« and directed and choreographed »Candide« and »The Rakeʼs Progress«.