La Monnaie - Dance at La Monnaie

Dance At La Monnaie

Dance and ballet always had their place on the stage of la Monnaie, and, during a major part of its history, the theatre housed its own Corps de Ballet. Several members of the Petipa family left their mark in Brussels in the 19th-century, but the enthusiasm of the public for traditional ballet performances diminished in the 1950s.

In 1959 director Maurice Huisman embarked on a cooperation with the young Avant-Garde choreographer Maurice Béjart. This resulted in the creation of the new Ballet du XXième Siècle which became the theatre's new ballet company until 1987 when Béjart and his Ballet left la Monnaie after a conflict with Gérard Mortier. In 1988 Mortier engaged the New York choreographer Mark Morris and his Mark Morris Dance Group. For three years they were known as the Monnaie Dance Group Mark Morris. Morris directed several productions in Brussels until 1991. Under Bernard Foccroulle, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and her company Rosas became the dance company in residence.