The Rudra Béjart School, Lausanne, or The Art of Excellence

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.