10 March 2020

BBL ON TOUR 2020

So far this year, nearly 15,000 spectators have applauded the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland, Belgium and France.

Starting with the Lausanne Opera where Gil Roman‘s company performed Maurice Béjart‘s Nutcracker three times in front of sold out crowds. The dancers then traveled to Charleroi in Belgium for the international premiere of Dixit, a Cinema-Dance-Theater production written and directed by Marc Hollogne. The audience gave a triumphant reception to all three shows honoring the creator of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. This piece combines reality and virtual by cleverly using screens on stage to highlight the choreographies of Maurice Béjart and Gil Roman.

The company then headed to Paris, where it gave five shows in four days at the Palais des Congrès. The first part featured t ‘M and variations…, a ballet by Gil Roman in which each step expresses words to Maurice, with variations on the theme of love and the inner necessity for dance. In the second part, the Artistic Director presented Béjart fête Maurice, with various pas de deux excerpts and more substantial ballets from Béjart’s repertoire. This was followed by Bolero and, although Gil Roman usually entrusts the main role of “The Melody” alternately to Elisabet Ros and Julien Favreau, he exceptionally offered it to the prima ballerina Diana Vishneva for the February 28th performance.

Back in Lausanne, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne will resume its tour on March 20 with performances in Biarritz (show on March 22) and Mérignac (from March 25 to 27). The company’s agenda includes: t ‘M and variations… and Béjart fête Maurice. The BBL will then return to its premises to focus its efforts on Maurice Béjart‘s Ninth Symphony, to be performed at Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo) from April 25 to 29. This masterful show, danced with the Tokyo Ballet, will be presented at the Vaudoise aréna (Lausanne-Malley) from June 12 to 17. The companies will be joined by the Lausanne Sinfonietta and the Chœur Pro Arte de Lausanne, under the direction of David Reiland, for the five performances in Switzerland.