Béjart, born in France and later active in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, was of the most influential European dancers and choreographers in the second half of the 20th century.  He emancipated the role of the male dancers, traditionally subordinate to the ballerinas, and integrated other forms of art, turning ballet into some "total theater".  "Béjart was unfathomably important for the redefinition of classical dance. He won a completely new audience for classical dance because he steered it into a revolutionary direction without destroying its classical roots." John Neumeier, artistic director of Hamburg Ballet, quoted from obituary in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (translated from German).