Pink Floyd Ballet Choreographer Roland Petit Dies

Roland Petit, who worked with Pink Floyd on a series of ballets centered around the band's music, passed away Sunday (July 10) at the age of 87. Petit's first Floyd ballet premiered in 1972 and featured a live performance from the band itself.

That first production, which debuted at the Palais des Sports in Marseilles, France, was performed in front of an audience of 32,000 with Floyd accompanying the dancers. The Floyd ballets have since been produced in several cities throughout the world, with the most recent production staged in 2010.

"It all began in the late '60s," explained Petit of the Floyd ballets, according to a post on the Pink Floyd fan site Brain Damage. "One day, my daughter, who must have been about 10 years old at the time, gave me an album by Pink Floyd and said, 'Dad, you have to make a ballet with this music. It's the best!'"

He went on to explain that meeting the band sealed the deal. "At first I was hesitant, but when I heard the music, I agreed with my daughter. So, I went to England and met with Pink Floyd in person. I told them about my idea of making a ballet with their music and asked if they would agree. They were so enthusiastic about the idea that they even offered to play live at the world premiere!"

Watch Footage From the World Premiere of the Pink Floyd Ballet