Maurice Béjart (January 1, 1927 – November 22, 2007) was a French and Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland .Son of philosopher Gaston Berger, Maurice Béjart was born on January 1, 1927 in Marseilles (France). He made his debut, first as a dancer and then as a choreographer, in Paris. In 1960, he formed his own company, the “Ballet du XXe Siècle”, in Brussels (Belgium). 25 years later, the troupe relocated to Lausanne (Switzerland) to be renamed “Béjart Ballet Lausanne”. Maurice Béjart puts down roots wherever his work takes him. It was during a tour with the Swedish Ballet Culberg (1949) that he discovered his strength for expression through choreography. Shortly afterwards, while working on a Swedish film production, he met Igor Stravinsky for the first time.
His first great triumph came in 1959, when Béjart created his monumental The Rite of Spring for Maurice Huisman, the new Director of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. This paved the way for the launch of the Ballet du XXe siècle in 1960, which triumphed on numerous worldwide tours. The Rite of Spring was followed by Boléro (1961), Messe pour le temps présent (1967) and The Firebird (1970). Developing a marked taste for cultural diversity, Béjart went on to create works that expressed the lore of different civilizations in the form of dance (Bhakti, Golestan, Kabuki, Dibouk, Pyramide) and illustrated a rich musical repertoire extending from Wagner to Boulez.
A natural teacher, Béjart founded the Mudra school in Brussels in 1970, and in Dakkar seven years later. In 1992, the Rudra school and workshop opened its doors in Lausanne. The transformation of the Ballet du XXe siècle to the Béjart Ballet Lausanne (1987) took place without interruption. In 1992, in order to “rediscover the essence of interpretation”, the size of the company was trimmed to about thirty dancers. This move was followed by numerous ballets created for the new troupe.
As well as directing plays (La Reine verte, Casta Diva, Five Modern Noh Plays, A-6-Roc), operas (Salomé, La Traviata, Don Giovanni) and films (Bhakti, Paradoxe sur le comédien), Maurice Béjart also writes, and has published a novel, a personal diary and a play. He received the Order of the Rising Sun from Emperor Hirohito of Japan (1986) and was named Great Officer of the Order of the Crown by King Baudouin of Belgium (1988). In 1993, the Japan Art Association awarded him its prestigious Premium Imperial Prize, while soon after the Inamori Foundation gave him the Kyoto Prize (1999). In 1994, Maurice Béjart was elected a Free Member of the Fine Arts Academy of the Institut de France. On December 4, 1995, His Holy Highness Jean-Paul II gave him the Peace Foundation award.
The city of Lausanne granted him the “bourgeoisie d’honneur” on December 3, 1996. In 2001, he received the Laurent Perrier “Grand siècle” prize from the hands of Jeanne Moreau. In August 2002, he created a new troupe for young dancers, called the “Compagnie M”, and his new ballet Mère Teresa et les enfants du monde. It premiered in Lausanne at the Théâtre de Beaulieu on October 18.
In October 2003, he paid homage to Fellini on the tenth anniversary of his death, with Ciao Federico. He received the insignia of the “Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters” from the Ambassador of France to Switzerland. 2004 marked the fiftieth anniversary of his role as director of the company. He then staged L’Art d’être grand-père together with the young dancers of the troupe. In 2005, he created L’Amour-la Danse, a show featuring over ten scenes of his greatest ballets. Not to mention Zarathoustra, le Chant de la Danse, his most recent major worldwide creation. On the eve of Maurice Béjart’s eightieth birthday, 2006 will see the birth of La Vie du danseur «racontée par Zig et Puce.
