Choreographer Bejart dies at 80

Bejart was born in France in 1927

Renowned French choreographer Maurice Bejart has died at the age of 80, a spokeswoman for his dance company, Bejart Ballet Lausanne, has said.

Bejart, a former dancer, had been in and out of hospital in recent months, suffering from exhaustion as well as kidney and heart problems.

He died in hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday.

His last work, Around the World in Eighty Minutes, is due to make its debut in Lausanne on 20 December.

Versace ballet

Bejart - born Maurice Berger in Marseilles, France in 1927 - studied dance in London and Paris before becoming a leading avant-garde choreographer in the 1950s.

His physical and sensual style met with resistance in traditional Paris circles, leading him to relocate to Brussels where his version of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was rapturously received in 1959.

In 1960 he formed his own company, the Ballet du XXe Siecle, and later relocated to Lausanne, Switzerland, where the troupe was renamed Bejart Ballet Lausanne.

Bejart's recent works included a specially-written ballet to mark the 10th anniversary of fashion designer Gianni Versace's death, which was performed in Milan in July.

He also choreographed Ballet for Life - a work danced to a soundtrack of Queen's greatest hits - but is better known for his avant-garde interpretations of classical works.