Béjart, Maurice

orig. Maurice-Jean Berger

(born Jan. 1, 1927, Marseille, France—died Nov. 22, 2007, Lausanne, Switz.) French-born Belgian dancer, choreographer, and opera director. He studied in Paris, then toured with various companies before founding his own, Les Ballets de l'Étoile (later Ballet Théâtre de Maurice Béjart), in Paris in 1954. In 1959 it moved to Brussels; renamed the Ballet of the Twentieth Century, it became one of the world's foremost troupes. His productions have been noted for reworking tradition in unusual and often controversial ways. Since 1961 he has also worked in opera, staging and Berlioz's , among other works. In 1987 the company moved to Switzerland and took the new name Béjart Ballet Lausanne.

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