Bejart Ballet Lausanne to open new dance season at Israel Opera

The first program will boast four works representing the past and present of the company.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
BEJART BALLET LAUSANNE (photo credit: ILIA CHKOLNIK)
BEJART BALLET LAUSANNE
(photo credit: ILIA CHKOLNIK)
This October, immediately following Rosh Hashana, Bejart Ballet Lausanne will return to Israel to open the Israel Performing Arts Center’s 2016/17 season.
It has been many years since the Swiss-based company has been to Israel.
To mark the occasion, artistic director Gil Roman put together a tour that will reacquaint Israeli audiences with one of Europe’s finest dance troupes.
The first program will boast four works representing the past and present of the company. Program A will include Piaf, Bhakti III and Bolero by Maurice Bejart as well as Anima Blues by Gil Roman. Bolero is perhaps Bejart’s most famous and emblematic work. Choreographed in 1961, Bolero brought together Ravel’s tour-de-force music with Bejart’s dancers’ flawless movement.
For Program B, Roman opted to keep things simple, presenting a single work, Bejart’s Ballet for Life. Bejart created this major production in 1997, which was originally performed with both Elton John and Queen on stage. An ode to peace and an explosion of energy, Ballet for Life has been performed hundreds of times in the 20 years since its premiere.
Bejart Ballet Lausanne will perform at TAPAC on October 4, 5, 7 and 8. For more information visit www.israel-opera.co.il.