Maurice Béjart

In 1987, Béjart founded the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland after leaving his previous company in Brussels. He originally established the Ballet du XXe Siècle (Ballet of the Twentieth Century) in 1960. The Lausanne-based company continues to be a major institution in European dance today.

Béjart is widely celebrated for his 1959 choreography of Stravinsky's *The Rite of Spring* and his sensual staging of Ravel's *Boléro*. His approach to *Boléro* features a single dancer on a red table surrounded by seated performers. These works remain signature pieces in his company's repertoire.

Before moving to Switzerland, Béjart was heavily involved with the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels during the 1960s and 70s. There, he directed the Ballet du XXe Siècle and gained international fame for his massive, theatrical dance spectacles. His European base helped shift the center of avant-garde ballet away from purely Russian or American dominance.

Béjart's style fused rigorous classical ballet technique with broad, theatrical, and sometimes controversial elements, including full male nudity and religious themes. He often focused on the spiritual and collective experience of humanity rather than just narrative storytelling. This made his works highly popular and accessible to large, mainstream audiences.