orig. Maurice Jean Berger
born Jan. 1, 1927, Marseille, Fr.
French-born Belgian dancer, choreographer, and opera director.
He studied in Paris, then toured with various companies before founding his own, Les Ballets de l'Étoile (later Ballet Théâtre de Maurice Béjart), in Paris in 1954. In 1959 it moved to Brussels; renamed the Ballet of the 20th Century, it became one of the world's foremost troupes. His productions have been noted for reworking tradition in unusual and often controversial ways. Since 1961 he has also worked in opera, staging Tales of Hoffmann and Berlioz's Damnation of Faust , among other works. In 1987 the company moved to Switzerland and took the new name Béjart Ballet Lausanne.