Béjart Ballet Lausanne

The Béjart Ballet celebrates youth by dancing to the rhythm of Queen and Mozart

Maurice Béjart revolutionized dance, extending the art to audiences which, until then, viewed it as alien. To democratise and free it of the image of an elitist art form reserved for minorities, Béjart, a brilliant chorographer who aspired to a total, eclectic and cosmopolitan art, did not hesitate to combine different elements which were, apparently, opposing. For example, the music of Mozart with that of Queen. This is what happened with Le Presbytère n’a rien perdu de son charme, ni le jardín de son éclat. It was conceived in 1966 as a double tribute to singer Freddie Mercury and Argentine dancer Jorge Donn -principal dancer of the Ballet del Siglo XX and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne- , both of whom died of AIDS at the age of 45. Béjart pays tribute to them with a ballet which does not centre on the pain or tragedy of grief, but rather invokes youth and hope.

“A love story to the music of Queen. Creativity, violence, humour, love: it is all there. I love this group. It inspires and guides me, at times through a no man’s land where we will all go some day and where, I am sure, Freddie Mercury is playing a piano duet with Mozart”. Maurice Béjart

Gil Roman, Artistic Director of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne since the death of its founder in 2007, continues perpetuating the repertory of the company and enriching it with his creations.