GENEVA, Nov 22: French choreographer Maurice Bejart, considered one of the great figures in contemporary dance, died on Thursday in a Swiss hospital at the age of 80, a spokeswoman for his Bejart Ballet Lausanne said.

A public memorial ceremony is to be held in Lausanne on Monday for Bejart, who converted to Islam and asked that his body be cremated.

Bejart had been in and out of hospital in recent months, suffering from kidney and heart problems which left him exhausted.

“He was a hard worker who gave his whole life to dance up to the last moment. What interested him was being in a studio with his dancers, working and researching new steps and scenes. He was a man of genius to the end,” Emmanuel de Bourgknecht, general manager of the troupe, said.—Reuters