Bejart Ballet Lausanne
Dancers at Béjart Ballet Lausanne must like traveling, because they spend only two to three months in their Swiss headquarters, racking up frequent flyer miles the rest of the year. This jet-setting company of 35 young dancers (of 16 nationalities) thrives on their high-octane way of life, which reverberates onstage.
The company is classical at heart but very contemporary, featuring modern dance, acrobatics and theatrical effects. Company founder, director and celebrated choreographer Maurice Béjart turns 80 in January but remains a creative dynamo—and that’s a good thing, because the company only performs his works.
“I don’t follow a single path, and I certainly stay away from establishing one particular style,” says Béjart. “Manner trumps matter,” he adds, “with each project deserving its very own artistry.”
In his latest creation, for example, Béjart pays homage to the Rolling Stones and then has his dancers seamlessly transition to a Wagner waltz. Béjart set his Romeo and Juliet to African drums and flutes and recently chose Palestinian music for a piece entitled L’amour, la Danse. The maitre (master), as the dancers call him, commands tremendous respect and many are in awe of his innovative flair and philosophical insights.
“There is a creative energy when we work with him,” says 10-year company veteran Karline Marion. “I am extremely grateful to grow and learn with such an energetic human being.”
BBL’s earlier incarnation was as the Ballet du XXe Siècle in Brussels, Belgium. Then in 1987, Béjart moved the company to Lausanne (situated on Lake Geneva) and rechristened it, this time bearing his name.
In Marion’s opinion, the company shines as a whole, because there is no hierarchy (no one is ranked). All classically trained, the dancers look very different from one another, giving Béjart enormous scope.
“Béjart capitalizes on our potential, which brings out the best in each of us,” says Thierry Deballe, a dancer with BBL for eight years. Regardless of the bizarre lifts and contortions he is sometimes asked to do, the Paris Opera–trained ballet dancer loves the avant-garde choreography.
“We’re motivated 100 percent of the time to prove that we exist, because [Béjart] gives so much of himself to highlight our individual talents,” Deballe says.
Marion says the diversity of the troupe is reflected in BBL’s colorful repertoire. “Think of it as a choreographic revolution with a certain desire to keep the audience on their toes,” she says.
That might mean blasting Elton John tunes, weaving song or text in between acts or even bits of improvisation. Béjart also likes to shake things up by having the company perform in unusual places like sports arenas and outdoor venues such as the Chateau de Versailles gardens and a Mexico City playground. December features performances in Belgium and Lausanne.
Deballe says [Béjart] “wants to bring dance to the greater public, make ballet more contemporary and free it up from too much rigidity.”
Charlotte Sector is a Paris-based journalist.
