By Darius KADIVAR Reports from
Europe
French
Ballet Maestro Maurice Béjart dies at 80 in Geneva
©Béjart Ballet
Lausanne
The Béjart Ballet in Lausanne, Switzerland announced the death of
French choreographer Maurice Béjart following his recent hospitalization at a
local hospital for heart and kidney treatment. Béjart leaves a legacy of more
than 230 choreographies the latest of which Zarathoustra. Le chant de la danse aka Zarathustra.
the song of the dance was dedicated to the famed Persian
Prophet as well as to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's work.
Born on January 1st 1927 in
Marseille,
France Béjart was
to become one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century. He moved to
Switzerland in the late 80's and created the Béjart Ballet in Lausanne launching
the career of future great dancers as Jorge Donn, Daniel Lommel, Gil Roman,
Patrick Dupont, Paolo Bortoluzzi or Suzanne Farrell. He was also to greatly
contribute to the Persian Ballet
Repertoire in the late 60's and 70's performing at the famous Roudaki
Hall in Tehran
created under the supervision of the former Empress of Iran, Shahbanou Farah
Pahlavi with whom he kept strong ties of friendship over the years.
Béjart Historical Performances at Roudaki Hall in
Tehran
©pictory
Iranian.com
One of the highlights of his
contributions to Iranian Ballet (*) was the creation of two consecutive ballets
during the Persepolis Celebrations of 1971. One based on the Golestan Sa'adi
with Iranian musicians Nur Ali Brumand, Nourredin RAZAVI Sarvestan & Dariush
TALA'I and another with the same musicians called Farah in tribute to the
Shahbanou. The latter was once again used for Béjarts 1995 ballet Scherehazad.
(See French review of Farah). Greatly
influenced by his trip to Iran after which he converted to
Islam after meeting a Sufi Kurdish musician which he admits had the greatest
artistic and spiritual influence in his career. This probably explains some of
Béjarts initial enthusiasm for the Islamic Revolution of 1979 despite his
personal sympathies and friendship with the Iranian Royal Family and Empress
Farah in particular. The excesses of the Islamic revolution and the shock of
September 11th which has bad named Islam certainly shook the
spiritual convictions of the famed ballet Maestro. This spiritual and
philosophical quest led him to the creation of a new Ballet Zarathoustra. Le chant de la
danse aka
Zarathustra. the song of the
dance which performed its premiere amidst standing ovation and
cheers last year in Lausanne Switzerland and
later on a triumphant European tour.
The choreographer greatly
contributed to his Art by offering visually spectacular performances and
turning it into a popular entertainment that was often at Odds with contemporary
critics of his time.
Iconic figure of Ballet throughout the 20th
Century
©Béjart Ballet Lausanne
A Solitary
but sociable character, Béjart is said not to be afraid of death « because
it is the only certainty in everyone's life » he once confessed adding
« I believe that death hits us all at the right time (…) maybe differently
but certainly for the good reasons. »
All his 230
choreographies were based on his personal research and spiritual quest (
including religious since he converted to Islam in the early 70's). Oriental and
Asian philosophies, Cinema and Literature dominate his entire work. He expressed
his obsessions about love, death, travels, solitude of mankind and the great
myths of Western civilization and the universality of the human condition.
Good Friends of a Life Time ©FarahPahlavi.org
An ever perfectionist, he never
admitted to an entirely satisfying performance. He nevertheless signed some
undeniable ballets in his long career such as "Symphonie pour un homme seul" (1955), "Le Sacre du
Printemps" (1959), "Boléro" (1961), "L'Oiseau de feu" (1970), "Notre Faust"
(1975) or "Le Presbythère...!" (1997).
Maurice Béjart
received great distinctions such as
"le Prix Allemand de la Danse" in 1994. He was knighted by the Empreror
of Japan in 1986 and was an honorary citizen of Lausanne.
Adieu Monsieur
Béjart ©Béjart Ballet Lausanne
The World of
Art and 20th Century Dance has certainly lost one of its greatest
icons.
ADIEU MONSIEUR BEJART
!
Authors
Notes:
(*) Also
see History of
Iranian Ballet during contemporary era by Nima Kiann founder
of Les Ballets Persans in
Sweden.
Recommended Readings:
Maurice Bejart's latest
ballet, Zarathustra, triumphs in Lausanne by Darius
KADIVAR
Farah Pahlavi at Maurice
Béjart 80th Birthday Party by Darius KADIVAR
Maurice Bejart &
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam to be honoured at The 2nd Persian Golden Lionness Awards
In Budapest Hungary by Darius KADIVAR
Persian Fiddler Lights Up
Paris by Darius KADIVAR
When Giants Meet: Googoosh
Greets Shahbanou of Iran at NY Concert by Darius
KADIVAR
Sultan
of My Heart: Monika Jalili and Noorsaaz's remembrance of things
past... by Darius KADIVAR
About the Author: Darius KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist,
Film Historian, and Media Consultant.
... Payvand News - 11/23/07 ...
