Béjart Ballet

Béjart Ballet
Name	Béjart Ballet
Founded	1960
Founder	Maurice Béjart
Location	Brussels; later Lausanne
Music	various composers
Venue	Théâtre de La Monnaie; Béjart Théâtre; Grütli
Genre	Ballet; contemporary ballet

Béjart Ballet was a contemporary ballet company founded by Maurice Béjart in 1960 that became influential across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The company integrated choreography, music, visual arts, and theater, drawing on collaborations with composers, designers, and soloists to create a distinctive repertory. Over decades the troupe performed at major venues and festivals while training dancers through affiliated schools and conservatories.

History

Maurice Béjart established the company in Brussels in 1960 and later anchored activities in Lausanne, collaborating with institutions such as Théâtre de La Monnaie, Opéra Garnier, and Palais Garnier. During the 1970s and 1980s the troupe toured extensively, appearing at the Bolshoi Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Teatro alla Scala while engaging with festivals including the Edinburgh Festival, Avignon Festival, and Salzburg Festival. The company’s institutional moves intersected with cultural policies in Paris, Brussels, and Lausanne and with exchanges involving the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, and New York City Ballet. Key historical moments included premieres that involved composers like Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Maurice Ravel, and collaborations with directors from Comédie-Française and Théâtre du Châtelet. Political and artistic contexts connected the company with patrons and partners such as UNESCO, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and Belgian cultural ministries.

Repertoire and Style

Repertoire mixed narrative ballets, abstract pieces, and theatrical tableaux drawing on music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy, and Philip Glass. Choreographic works referenced myths, literature, and visual art, aligning with scenography from designers linked to the Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, and the Venice Biennale. The company’s style synthesized influences from Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, and Pina Bausch, while also integrating elements associated with Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Paul Taylor. Productions often featured set and costume designers with credits at La Scala, Théâtre du Rond-Point, and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and used lighting and multimedia technologies developed in collaboration with institutions like IRCAM and Philips. Works were staged alongside performances by guest artists from the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Real, and Teatro Colón.

Key Figures and Leadership

Founder Maurice Béjart shaped artistic direction and frequently worked with composers such as Hans Werner Henze, Aram Khachaturian, and Astor Piazzolla, and with conductors from the Orchestre de Paris and London Symphony Orchestra. Leading dancers and choreographers associated with the company included Gil Roman, Dominique Bagouet, Maguy Marin, and Janine Charrat, while collaborations involved choreographers from Nederlands Dans Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Boston Ballet. Administrative leadership interacted with cultural figures from the Ministry of Culture (France), the Canton of Vaud, and Swiss cultural institutions; productions featured guest conductors from the Metropolitan Opera, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Staatskapelle Dresden. Collaborations extended to directors and performers from Compañía Nacional de Danza, Royal Swedish Ballet, and Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

Company Structure and Schools

The organization comprised a performing company, rehearsals at dedicated studios, and affiliated schools and academies in Lausanne and Brussels that trained pupils in techniques drawing from the Paris Opera Ballet School, Vaganova Academy, and Royal Academy of Dance. Pedagogues and répétiteurs associated with the company had links to Conservatoire de Paris, Conservatoire de Lausanne, and Juilliard School, and guest teachers came from Ballets de Monte-Carlo, École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris, and San Francisco Ballet School. The administrative apparatus worked with unions and guilds such as the Syndicat National des Danseurs and international agencies including the International Theatre Institute and the European Dancehouse Network.

International Tours and Collaborations

Touring took the company to major cultural centers including Tokyo, Beijing, New York City, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Johannesburg, with seasons at venues like Carnegie Hall, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Bolshoi Theatre, and Teatro Colón. Collaborations involved orchestras and ensembles such as the Orchestre National de France, Wiener Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Ensemble InterContemporain, and working relationships with festivals including the Festival d’Automne à Paris, Festival de Cannes, and Tanglewood Music Festival. Artistic exchanges and co-productions were undertaken with organizations like the Royal Opera House, Teatro Real, Vlaamse Opera, and the National Theatre of Greece.

Awards and Legacy

The company and its artists received honors from institutions including the Légion d’honneur, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Prix Benois de la Danse, and the Gold Medal of the City of Paris, while productions were recognized at festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Venice International Theatre Festival. The artistic legacy influenced institutions like the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and shaped curricula at Conservatoire de Paris, Juilliard School, and the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts. Archives and retrospectives have been mounted at Musée de la Danse, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and Musée de la Mode, ensuring influence on contemporary choreographers, ballet companies, and performing arts institutions worldwide.

Category:Contemporary ballet companies