Hamburg - John Neumeier, director of the Hamburg Ballet, expressed his sadness Thursday at the news of the death of French choreographer Maurice Bejart, calling him a "great friend" and a man who had re-defined classical dance. "He was a great friend of mine, I could identify with him very much," Neumeier told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "I will miss him greatly."
Neumeier, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States and who has headed the Hamburg ballet company since 1973, added: "Bejart was infinitely important in the new definition of classical dance."
Bejart had won over a totally new audience for classical dance "because he led it in a revolutionary direction without destroying the classical roots."
