The Rudra Béjart School in Lausanne was created in 1992 by Maurice Béjart as a fully-fledged entity of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne Foundation. Michel Gascard, who was auditioned by Maurice Béjart in 1973 and had an exceptional 20-year career as an international dancer, runs the school today in accordance with the renowned choreographer's wishes.
Following an extremely selective auditioning process, only about 20 students out of 200 candidates are chosen to take up the opportunity of a multidisciplinary education in line with the Rudra Béjart School criteria. They come from all over the world with a single aim: to become professional dancers.
For two years, they receive training in the form of various "ateliers" (workshops) in classical ballet and modern dance, music and theater education, martial arts, circus arts, improvisation and choreographic composition. This program of ateliers is complemented by original productions performed in Switzerland and internationally.
For part of the year, they work alongside the professional dancers of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. The experience serves as an inspiration, and sometimes they have the chance to take part in the Company's productions. It is then, as they perform Maurice Béjart's ballets side by side with senior dancers, that all their dreams become reality.
The 40 or so young people attending the school, aged between 16 and 20, have chosen the most difficult of artistic paths: they study 6 days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., constantly challenging the excellence of their work. But as Maurice Béjart so rightly put it: "To be a dancer, you must be part nun, part boxer! "
At the end of the training, they join the Béjart Ballet Lausanne or other prestigious companies located around the world. Since the creation of the School in 1992, several hundred "Rudrists" have gone on to work in companies across the 5 continents as dancers, teachers, choreographers and directors. Jaquet Droz is proud to be the sponsor of a school providing a unique educational experience, one in which the spirit of Maurice Béjart lives on.
A warmed up stage, a drum kit, a few guitars and a harmonica: “It’s only rock’n’roll!” Today, Jaquet Droz unveils the first out of the 23 unique timepieces to retrace the world of the Rolling Stones through motion. Beside the arm of a record player that hovers over a platinum album replica (the power reserve), a scene depicts their signature instruments in miniature paintings and gold thread. The external disc rotates up to 8 consecutive times for 30 seconds and is adorned with the albums that the collector will choose for his unique timepiece. At 9 o'clock, the iconic tongue beats rhythmically, from left to right and from top to bottom. “And I like it!”
After three years of work, Jaquet Droz and John Howe have developed an Art Watch dedicated to emotion, wonder and fantasy. Draped in gold and rare stones, their dragon has a record 9 distinct animations. Inside a 43 mm case, the piece is entirely handmade and can be customized almost without limit by the client. Thanks to a Studio in the heart of the Jaquet Droz head quarter, clients will be offered an immersive phygital experience that will allow them to witness the live creation of their timepieces. There is no series to be announced, only unique pieces.
The “Effinger” clock dated from 1783 and signed Jaquet-Droz, has been sold at CHF 256,000.-, which is more than three times the starting bid of CHF 70,000.-, during the Koller auction on March the 31st 2022.