The 1999 Laureates / Creative Arts and Moral Sciences Category / Theater, Cinema

Mr. Béjart, one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century, has elevated ballet, a genre of performing arts, to the level of an art form that can express thought. He revived at a stroke the primitive power that dance originally had, but that had long been lost. Because of these achievements, he has profoundly influenced not only the world of dance, but also other art forms, literature, and even philosophy.