Principal

Adam trained at the Royal Ballet School, graduating in 2001. He has appeared with the Royal Ballet and joined Scottish Ballet in February 2003. Since then, he has danced in Page's Cheating, Lying, Stealing, 32 Cryptograms, Soft Underbelly, Nightswimming into day, The Nutcracker (The Nutcracker Prince), Walking In The Heat, The Pump Room, Fearful Symmetries, Cinderella (The Dancing Master and The Prince), The Sleeping Beauty (Bluebird and The Prince), Pennies From Heaven and Alice (Caterpillar, Charles Dodgson), Davies' White Man Sleeps, Petronio's MiddleSexGorge and Ride The Beast, Alston's Dangerous Liaisons and Carmen (Don José), Pastor’s In Light And Shadow, Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, Episodes, Agon and Rubies (lead couple), Loosmore’s Chasing Ghosts, Darrell's Five Rückert Songs and Othello (Iago), Forsythe’s Artifact Suite and Workwithinwork, and Ashton’s Façade and Scènes de Ballet, Paul Liburd's From Where, Val Caniparoli's Still Life, Jorma Elo's Kings 2 Ends, Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth(Messenger of Death), Meckler/Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire (Mitch) and Martin Lawrance’s Run For It. Adam was promoted to Principal in August 2008.

 

Photos

 

 

 

Films

Adam talks about his role in MacMillan's Song of the Earth.

Pennies from Heaven rehearsal broadcast featuring Adam Blyde talking about his role in the production.

 

Alice backstage broadcast featuring Adam talking about his role as the Caterpillar.

 

 

Quotes

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

.Sunday Times, 22 April 2012 - The premiere cast in all the leadings roles was splendid: Tama Barry as the macho Stanley, Sophie Martin as the much put-upon Stella, Adam Blyde as the innocent Mitch and, above all, Eve Mutso as the self-deluding, conscience-tormented Blanche DuBois.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2011

MacMillan’s Song of the Earth

.The Herald, 27 August 2011 - “The trio of dancers at the heart of the choreography – Adam Blyde, Erik Cavallari and Sophie Martin – connect us, with exquisitely nuanced detail, to the life cycle expressed in the songs. Blyde, the Messenger of Death, shadows the unfolding actions with a potent subtlety, while Cavallari offers a boundless vitality that Martin answers with a porcelain delicacy.”

 

ALICE 2011

.Sunday Times, 17 April 2011 – To teach Alice the tango, Adam Blyde as the Caterpillar dances this scene wittily.

.Inverness Courier, 03 May 2011 – Tomomi Sato is an ideal physical model for Alice. Her duets with Adam Blyde in the role of Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll were beautifully lyrical.

.TVBomb, 21 April 2011 – Adam Blyde’s superbly flamboyant Spanish Caterpillar and Lewis Landini’s humpty Dumpty provided two sublime moments.

.South Wales Echo, 06 May 2011 – Sophie Martin deserves particular praise as Alice, although the cast, including Quenby Hersh as the Cheshire Cat, Tomomi Sato as the White Rabbit, Erik Cavallari as Charles and Adam Blyde as the Caterpillar all became their characters.

 

CINDERELLA 2010/11

.Edinburgh Spotlight, January 2011 – Adam Blyde as the Prince impresses, particularly in those scenes where he and Martin dance together, the fluidity and grace of their movements capturing the fairytale romance of their pairing.

.Inverness Courier, 01 February 2011 – Adam Blyde as a suitably charming Prince.

 

ROMEO AND JULIET 2010

.Press & Journal, 14 May 2010 – The final scenes when Romeo takes his own life after believing Juliet has taken hers were genuinely moving, with Blyde and Robertson turning in outstanding performances.

 

AUTUMN 2009 

Balanchine’s Rubies

.Dance Europe, November 2009 – I believe few couples could betther the performances of Sophie Martin and Adam Blyde in the lead roles. Their partnership is fluid and superbly in sync. The sixth sense they seem to possess became ever more vivid later in the programme. Both have crystal techniques, beautiful lines, jumps, pirouettes and sparkling personality, but the icing on the cake is their instinctive musicality. Each used Stravinsky’s score with such a sense of clarity and innate understanding, it was a joy to watch. 

.The Independent, 06 October 2009 – Sophie Martin and Adam Blyde show romping energy as the leading couple. Martin shimmies exuberantly, undulating her torso with verve.

.The Stage, 02 October 2009 – Sophie Martin, with a polished technique, sparkles and is well partenered by Adam Blyde.

 

Pastor’s In Light and Shadow

.Dance Europe, November 2009 – Blyde and Martin [are] sublime in their aria – total bliss. 

 

SPRING 2009

Alston’s Carmen

.Turriff Advertiser Series, 07 May 2009 – Principal dancer Claire Robertson starred as the titular character, managing to give her sexy, aggressive nature a sympathetic edge. She was well matched by the two main male dancers, particularly Adam Blyde as Don José who is by turns carefree and passionate until his relationship with Carmen makes him a broken, destructive man

 

Page’s Cheating, Lying, Stealing

.The Scotsman, 17 April 2009 - one of the best performances the principals of this company have ever given 

.jenniemacfie.wordpress.com, 17^th May 2009 - The individual duets and trios provided many opportunities to admire the dancing skills of the company members, including Martin, now ably partnered by Adam Blyde, Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari, and the ever-watchable Paul Liburd.

 

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 2008-2009

.Dance Expression, February 2009 – The Bluebird accompanies the prince to rescue his own caged Lady Bluebird, roles in which Adam Blyde and Tomomi Sato sparkle.

 

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 2007-2008

.The Herald, 12 December 2007 – There’s no room to detail all that happens in this fabulous reinterpretation, or to praise sufficiently the dancers – though Adam Blyde’s Bluebird must be mentioned.

 

 

 SPRING 2007

Darrell’s Othello
.Mail on Sunday, 15 April 2007 – Adam Blyde gives an outstanding performance as the slinkily scheming Iago.

.Sunday Herald, 15 April 2007 – Adam Blyde is the perfect baddie, fluttering around Erik Cavallari’s more physically imposing Othello, whispering poison in his ear

.Criticaldance.net, April 2007 - Blyde and Harrison, Blyde in particular, gave some of the finest dramatic and balletic performances I've seen from Scottish Ballet.

 

Balanchine's Agon
.Dancing Times, June 2007 - Adam Blyde, Gregory Dean and Christopher Harrison [are] particularly impressive.

 

SPRING 2006

Balanchine's Episodes
.Sunday Herald, 9 April 2006 – In Episodes, we are dazzled by Sophie Martin (with Adam Blyde) in the opening sequence, as she makes vivaciously slinky work of Mr B’s sharp-edged choreography.

 

CINDERELLA 2005-2006

.Ballet.co.uk, March 2006 - I loved Adam Blyde and Luke Ahmet as the Dancing Master and the Equerry, with their mischievous glances and sexual tension… Blyde and Ahmet get the balance of campness and skilled comedic acting just right – Blyde’s entrance is witty, stylish and musical, and he shows a light, neat technique and beautiful line while being almost mockingly careful in his poise… and he and Blyde make an exciting and technically beautiful pair on stage…

 

AUTUMN 2005

Balanchine’s Episodes
.The Independent, 1 September 2005 – The lead couple, Sophie Martin and Adam Blyde, capture the mood perfectly in their swift, neat, measured but lyrical movements.

 

THE NUTCRACKER 2004-2005

.Dance Expression, February 2005 – In an eyeball-to-eyeball duet, contemporary dancer Diana Loosmore, powerfully turning with sumptuous use of back, confronts the light-footed effortlessly-leaping Royal Ballet trained Adam Blyde.

 

 

SPRING 2004

Ashley Page’s Soft Underbelly
.The Guardian, 2 April 2004 - With a West Side Story sparkle, Soft Underbelly (1999) shines in the perky dancing of Tomomi Sato, Lilian Pommier and Adam Blyde.

.Sunday Herald, 4 April 2004 – Soft Underbelly (1999), immaculately danced by firecracker Tomomi Sato (on pointe), Lillian Pommier and Adam Blyde…

 

 

AUTUMN 2003

Siobhan Davies’ White Man Sleeps

.The Herald, 26 Sept 2003 – Patricia Hines and Adam Blyde deserve particular mention for the rounded, intelligent way they engaged with Davies' choreography.