Maurice Béjart – The Greatest Player on the Theatrical Stage of the 20th Century and Leader of the World Festival Movement

Maurice Béjart (1927–2007) was a prominent figure of the twentieth-century theatre world and one of the leading personalities of the international festival movement.

He was known for his influence on ballet and dance in post-war Europe. Béjart’s biography is an exciting journey in which he became a reformer of ballet and modern dance. The son of a philosopher from Marseille, he created majestic dance compositions on a scale comparable to Marius Petipa’s ballets. He also developed a universal language of dance and emphasized the male dancer. His theatre included ethnic motifs and topical themes. His best-known productions include “The Symphony of the Lonely Man,” “The Rite of Spring,” and “Boléro.”