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IF EVER a dancer survived a baptism of fire, young Adam Cooper did so at the first performance this season by the Royal Ballet of Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. It had been scheduled for Zoltan Solymosi and Leanne Benjamin, but only hours before the performance Solymosi was injured and withdrew. Cooper had danced the role of Crown Prince Rudolf - the most demanding in the repertory - only twice, when he was on tour abroad with the company. He had danced it with Viviana Durante so, sensibly, she was brought in as Mary Vetsera to help him through the ordeal.
An ordeal...